I Will Remember the Others
by LabyrinthDweller
Summary: If you haven't read I Will Remember You, read that first! A little collection of side stories and ideas that may or may not have gotten into the initial story. Includes other POVs and songfics. Go Reese!
1. Curiosity and the Cat

Reese-Fanfics of a Fanfic.

_Stories that could've happened within the story…but either didn't or didn't fit with the type of story. Includes other POV's besides Ulrich's, songfics, and random stories that popped into my head late in the middle of the night. Will add more at random times. If you are new, please read my fic _**I Will Remember You** _before reading this, as it will clear up a gazillion questions you may have while reading this. Thanks, guys!_

**Curiosity killed the Cat**

_But satisfaction brought her back…!_

Her cheek stung. Within a moment she regretted taunting this boy, with such strong arms and high temper. What's more, she regretted even beginning to taunt _anyone_ with as much flare as she just did. Slowly she brought her head back around from the whiplash that his slap sent it, gingerly touching her aching cheek. She felt a small amount of liquid over her skin, and she pulled her finger in front of her, rubbing the blood gently.

That's when things really started to get weird.

Reese began to murmur unintelligible syllables, completely like some sort of foreign cretin. His voice was now hushed, almost scared, opposing his sharp outburst from before. It sounded like he was struggling to say her name one moment, the next it just sounded like gibberish. She continued to gaze at her bloodstained fingers, the fight completely taken out of her—which was rather unnatural. Absentmindedly she listened to his mumblings, completely taken in by the strong pull of sorrowful regret.

"Yu…Yum…Are…nnnn…I…,"

She didn't answer to the prefix of her very name, Yumi.

"Did…Did…n't…nnn…Muth, muth…,"

_Muth? What is he talking about?_ Her ever tomboyish side chanted in her head. Almost immediately her mind latched onto that statement, trying to translate it to something understandable.

_Muth…mutha…muth—Mother?_

And that's the exact moment Yumi's point of view was turned around for the rest of the night.

"Nnno…no…I can't be like…not him…no…,"

Yumi's eyes flashed up to see him swivel around on his heel, curse loudly, and dash off blindly into the dark woods.

_What just happened…?_ She asked herself uselessly. Suddenly she was torn between two choices: Leave to her dorm, or follow him.

Her scared side told her to leave. Honestly, she hated this side more than anything. This side, of course, had always been there, but it had been the weakest side that Yumi had. Never had she let this side wander out freely, ever. She wasn't afraid of anything much. Sure, roaches sent shivers up her spine, but she wouldn't scream or anything. There was no fear that she couldn't conquer…

Until Ulrich had left her.

That's when her scared side had bombarded her, threatening to take over with each step. Nothing she ever did kept it at bay now. It was too strong. And it wanted to control her. Day and night, constant control. That's why Yumi had troubles sleeping at night—she didn't want to give in to her fearful side.

And then there was Ulrich's death. That made her fearful side rocket through her brain, twisting so she wasn't Yumi anymore. She even attacked one of her best _friends_. It had gone too far, but there wasn't much she could do.

Still, with that doubt in mind, Yumi shut her eyes tightly, and plunged deeper into the woods to follow the mysterious boy. It wasn't too hard to do, seeming as one could still hear him crashing off not too far in the distance. Doggedly Yumi placed her legs in front of her, tired out of her wits—but strangely enough, it wasn't from physical exhaustion.

Just before she stumbled into a clearing, she noticed that Reese had stopped in front of a giant rock face. Ducking behind a tree, she allowed her eye to sneak just past the boundary of the bark to spy on what Reese would do next.

He tore off his gloves, angrily tossing them aside. Confused, Yumi scrunched her brow as she continued to watch, until his true intentions became all to clear to her.

She almost cried in surprise and horror when the first meaty thud hit the stone, and was forced to slap a hand onto her mouth to stop her from screaming as his fists kept coming endlessly to meet the rock. Yumi prayed that he would stop soon, only a few punches, Lord, just a few punches…

But she had underestimated him. The severity and ferociousness of his punches grew and grew until finally, his knuckles gave in and burst.

Yumi choked on her own breath, and had to turn away. What _ever_ could have happened to him to make himself inflict pain on him for something as simple—and as _stupid_—as a slap? Yumi had seen blood before, having to be a Lyoko warrior comes with its consequences—but never, _ever_ has she seen blood that was forced out on purpose. Was he lost to this madness now? Was he completely unable to stop?

He kept going for another ten minutes until finally he made one last punch. Yumi peeked out to see him hit his forehead to the rock, and screamed once, then twice through gritted teeth. Afterwards, she heard his demented sobs continue to scatter the night air, corresponding with his heaving shoulder blades. Then, he began to fall with his back toward the rock face. Yumi panicked and ducked back behind the tree, hearing him mumble something but not being able to make out what. After that, he was done. His sobs ceased, and Yumi heard a slight thud as he dropped into unconsciousness. She waited three or four more minutes before tentatively creeping out from her hiding place.

Apart from the giant blood splotch on the rock from where he kept punching it, his red liquid smeared in an arc following the path that he fell. Though she didn't want to, she looked down at him anyways. Despite the blood that had splashed onto his face and smudged onto his arm and his split knuckles, he looked rather peaceful when at sleep. At least, for now. Yumi took a few steps closer to him, and kneeled down, only a few centimeters away.

The deformity of his strange scar was lost on Yumi as she stared past at the face of the two-sided boy that had so suddenly walked into their life. He was young, but even as he slept the signs of knowing too much were etched into his expression. Though his brow was almost permanently furrowed, forcing a frown, Yumi could blankly see the sadness that his anger hid. For some reason, although Yumi couldn't stand him one bit, she felt as if she were strangely connected to him through an unseen force.

Reese constricted his face in pain, and gave a small whimper, tossing his head slightly. Yumi glanced down at his ruined hands, then at the wall. She had to do something; she couldn't just leave him here.

Like _he_ had left her.

Not a moment passed before Yumi was back to running through the woods, her destination being her own house.

When she arrived she expertly worked the key into the lock in such a way that the door would silently slide open. She had a lot of experience in sneaking in late, so it didn't cause too much sweat. Quietly she climbed her stairs and slinked down the hall, cringing whenever a subtle board creaked. Gently pushing the bathroom door open, she snaked in, popping the medicine closet open.

She grabbed a first aid kit—making sure there was plenty of gauze—and nabbed a large water bottle. After grabbing a towel, she stole out of the bathroom, trying to quickly but silently sneak out of there. When she reached the door she felt a rush of relief and success right before she dropped the water bottle on the floor.

Yumi froze, shocked at her stupid mistake. Upstairs she heard her parents stir, and panic settled in. She snatched it up off of the floor and opened the door, sliding out and shutting it with careful, careful ease. Seeing a light go on upstairs through a window, Yumi cringed and jumped into a pine bush near the door, making sure that none of her could be seen. It wasn't long before a few more lights were lit, and the door was unlatched from the inside, opening with agonizing slowness.

Yumi saw the cautious silhouette of her father in her mother's maroon bathrobe, with two different slippers on the wrong feet. He swung his head from side to side, trying to find any evidence of someone who might've snuck in. At one point he paused, drawing out his time and merely listening. Yumi held her breath painfully, wishing that he would just go back inside. One minute passed, then he retreated back into the house.

As soon as the door closed Yumi released the largest sigh of relief she had ever kept, and relaxed even though the bushes were awfully scratchy and uncomfortable. After a while, the lights were turned out downstairs, then the upstairs lights, then her parent's bedroom lights. Yumi waited a moment more, then awkwardly crawled out from underneath the bushes, hair mussed up and full of pine needles and branches. Despite this, she smiled widely before dashing off back into the park, filling the water bottle with cool stream water on her way.

Reese had only moved in such ways that a vivid dream would cause you to move, yet he was much more talkative now than he was ever during the school day. Yumi set the First-Aid down, slinging the towel off of her shoulder and drenching part of it in cold water. Even though Reese's mumbled sleep-speeches haunted her as she did it, Yumi wanted to clean the rock first; because dried blood is easier to clean off of human skin than rocks, and Yumi didn't want to wait for the blood to oxidize on the rock.

It wasn't hard to clean up. Most of it was lukewarm and still running, so all it required was a few quick swabs with the towel and maybe one or two scrubbings, and she was done. Reese, however, was not.

"Fair…foul…," he murmured fearfully. Yumi unclipped the First-Aid kit and swung it open, fishing for the right equipment while listening in on Reese's ranting.

"Mckduff…nnn…Mckduff…!" She plucked out the roll of gauze and picked a washcloth up, wetting it with the water bottle. She debated on using antiseptic, but decided that it was only for the better…even if he _did _wake up.

"…kbeth…," he whined. Yumi sucked in a breath of preparation, and crawled up next to him, gently taking his left hand. Using the wet cloth, she steadily cleaned the blood from his hand and wrist as softly as she could. Reese continued to moan.

"Mmmk…beth…cckk…,"

Biting her lower lip, Yumi selected a dry corner of the cloth, and wet it with antiseptic. Very carefully, very slowly, she began to touch upon his smashed knuckles. His moaning became ever so slightly more desperate. Yumi chewed on her lip as she began to dab just a bit deeper. Reese was soon near to screaming.

"Macduff!" he yelled, "Macduff's blood, Macduff!"

"No no no…!" Yumi protested as Reese began to thrash back and forth, trying to wrench his hand free. For some reason, Yumi threw out her hand and placed it on his forehead, applying pressure and lowering his head down into the cool grass. It was wet with both cold and hot sweat. She grimaced, and prayed that he would calm down. He let out a few pained gasps, but settled back comfortably into slumber.

Yumi released a breath through her teeth, and painstakingly cleansed the rest of his left hand, pausing when Reese needed her to. She then wrapped tightly and thickly with soft gauze.

Cautious, yet filled with confidence this time, she set to work on his other hand, listening intently to Reese's words. He didn't say as much as before, and much of it was quite repetitive.

"kbeth, ckbeth…be air...Mac…duff…,"

He gave one last agonized groan before falling silent. Yumi gave him a long stare, and continued with the antiseptic. He didn't moan once.

Never had Yumi been so frightened this way in her life. It was such a drastic change from before, she wondered if it had anything to do with suffrage from blood loss. And yet, his face looked so calm and his breathing was so enchantingly normal that Yumi couldn't believe that anything much was wrong at all. Still, she kept two hawk's eyes on him, in case anything else happened. Cleaning the washcloth of the antiseptic as best she could, she doused the entire thing with the rest of the water, set out to clean the loose blood on his skin.

Noting that he had a habit of tossing and turning quite a bit while sleeping, Yumi sighed as she did the best idea she had for curing that. She didn't quite like the idea, but it would have to suffice.

As gently as she could, she raised Reese's limp form and edgily scooted her lap underneath him. He began to murmur again, but this time it was only grunts of pain and exertion, and not understandable words. Yumi frowned, and wiped the blood from his arm first, taking some time making sure she got all of it in the dim light. As she did, Reese's pleadings became more violent with each passing minute.

Just before she was to start work on his neck, collar bone and face, he let out a loud scream of agony and twisted in desperate and awkward ways, pantomiming incredible injuries. Strangely enough, his shout wasn't loud enough to wake himself up—which was rather lucky on Yumi's part. She sucked in a sharp, scared breath, and bravely set the cloth on his face and began to wipe gently.

Halfway through her first swab, Reese cried out again, longer and lonelier than last time, almost like a wolf. Yumi tried her best to ignore him as she wiped over his cheeks again, but he wouldn't hear of it as he began to toss in such ways that symbolized a struggle to wake up.

Yumi felt panic rise in her throat, and responded vocally before she could think.

"Oh no, please don't wake up! Please, please, please! Stay asleep, please!"

For some reason, Reese stopped. Feeling teeny sweat beads drip down her forehead, Yumi pleaded a whisper once more, "Don't wake up…!"

Reese had a short stop in his breathing, and for half a second Yumi feared the worst. But soon, he released the rest of his breath and took in another with a deep sigh, and she calmed down.

"Oh…thank god…," she softly said with relief, continuing on cleaning his face. As soon as she finished up wiping around his scar, he gave a different moan—like he was stirring—and he twitched. Yumi froze instantly, staring fearfully at his face.

Slowly but surely Reese's eyes opened half way, revealing only a glimpse of his lime irises, electrically teal in the moonlight. It all happened in one tired movement, Yumi thought he caught a glimpse of her, then he rolled over so his back was facing her, instantly falling back asleep—to stay asleep for good this time, without even the tiniest troubled whimper.

She stayed like that, unmoving, for another two minutes or so, before she shook her head to rid herself of the daze of his hypnotic eyes, and took in a few breaths, reminding herself of why she stayed.

After she finished cleaning the blood on him, Yumi gently set the cloth aside, befuddled on what to do next.

Here she was, in the middle of the night with her legs crossed underneath the head and chest of the most complicated person she had ever met and hated, lost within a woodsy park near her school.

You'd never see something like this in the movies.

This gave her the perfect opportunity to think, and think hard.

_Reese_…she said rather bitterly in her head, _just who are you…? _What_ are you?_

After further contemplation, she began to rattle random thoughts in her head.

_I know who you are…you're a selfish, boxed-up bedraggled boy who'd rather spend his time with girls who already have great crushes on them—either that or you enjoy to make others fall into complex personality puzzles as a little mockery to keep them busy. You'll be voted most likely to be a apartment bum, following random girls home, handsomely trying to look for someone that would stay—_

_Holy…I didn't just say _handsome_, did I…?_

_Did I…?_

Yumi stared down at his unscarred cheek, seeing more than she saw before. Closed, peaceful eyes that hid true emotion-betraying jewels behind them fluttered every now and then with the hills and valleys of sleep. Deep, sovereign breaths taking and releasing air to keep life within him came and went with drowsy, yet beautiful monotony. Strong, lean arms lay out carelessly in front of him, relaxed and free. Messy, unkempt russet hair flowing in one direction in front of his face reflected either laziness, lack of sleep, or the ability to stay care-free of trifle things. Yumi wouldn't lie—she had seen his swift reflexes and his acrobatics more than once. Jim had even talked to him about the martial arts, but she couldn't remember his answer to that. As far as she knew, he hadn't come to class yet, but that doesn't mean he wasn't taking private lessons.

Yumi jumped as she realized that her hand was buried in his hair, stroking softly. Her teeth came down on her tongue, and she jerked away immediately. Breathing hard she spent a few moments of feverish embarrassment and shame—she wasn't supposed to like him! For these past two years Yumi's slowly came to realization why it hurt so bad to see Ulrich go, and she made a promise to herself back then: She'd wait for him, and won't decide on anything in relationships until he came back.

Because she had complete and utter faith that he would come back. It's been two years—and yet there was no luck. Then…after the news…well…

Truth was—even though she'd never admit it—she had strangely been attracted to Reese even before the news hit Kadic. She wondered about him and his outlandish distant, silent character. He almost never answered any of her questions, and in reality that just drew her closer in curiosity to him. Still, she kept her distance. She made a promise to her heart, and if he was never coming back, then so be it.

She'll wait until the end of her time.

At least, that's what her mindset was. Her heart seemed to have different ideas now. Yumi fluttered a bit, and twisted backwards to look behind her. Silly. No one would be out tonight. She was alone. As long as Reese wouldn't wake up…

It would be her little secret.

She watched over him until dawn broke with dark clouds. Spirit strangely soaring, she danced off, leaving Reese sleeping peacefully—_handsomely_—there on the forest floor.

_Fun fact!_

_I wrote the ending of this listening to Hairspray! Are all you folks angrily anxious for the next chapter in the actual story? Too bad!_

'_Cuz you can't stop (or change) my beat!_

…

_(now I'm listening to My Chemical Romance…)_

_(I think I'll listen to Nickelback next…)_

_(and I should shut up and continue on the next "REAL" chapter)_


	2. Over My Head Cable Car songfic

_I have a confession to make:_

_I love well-written songfics with songs that I love._

_I_

_Really_

_Do._

_And now, without further ado about nothing (Shakespeare Shakespeare Shakespeare) I'll bring you a quickly written songfic, using The Fray's Over my Head (Cable Car). Toodle-loos!_

* * *

**Over my Head**

_Drowning with the water way over my reach…_

**I never knew**

Reese groaned and laid back in his chair, jacket set untidily off in the corner with his scratchy gloves. He had been studying for a while in his dorm, ever since school had let out earlier that afternoon at about three o' clock. Now it was dark out, and a gentle cold wind blew outside the window. His room mate, Odd, was out eating supper. Like most of the time, Reese stayed behind, refusing to eat. It's not that he did that because he was concerned of his weight, he just didn't find the strength half the time to put food in his mouth. Most likely, in fact, he'd throw it up later as a result of the awful memories that always flashed in his head, reminding him of who he had left behind to die.

Literally.  
**  
I never knew that everything was falling through**

Kiwi, Odd's dog, barked softly and padded up to him after his dognap, clawing at Reese's pant leg. Reese gave a glance downward from the small desk at the gray, indefinable dog that was looking up at him with questioning eyes, panting profusely and waiting for him to acknowledge his presence with more than just a glance. Reese stared at him for a few moments more with tired, green eyes that hid way too many secrets. Finally he reached his hand down and ruffled the dog's thin ears. Kiwi raised his head in approval, sniffing Reese's hand, then licking it multiple times.

A rare smirk flashed over Reese, and he quickly turned back to the text and note book on the table, keeping one hand hanging down for Kiwi.

…_The French Revolution, ed after the American Revolution, started at the low of the monarchy, when food and supplies were scarce…_

Reese let out a breath through his nose. He had learned this a thousand times before, but it seemed like every social studies class had to teach it at least once. His eyes wandered around the room in boredom, resting on his bed, where a different notebook lay open to a page that contained nothing but a mere drawing, a sketch of someone's face—drawn from memory.

Lost. It didn't matter who it was that he drew on the paper. They were lost to him. Every person in the world was lost to him.**  
**

**That everyone I knew was waiting on a queue **

He stifled a half-sneer, half-wince, and hung his head over the textbook, reading some more.

…_King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (don't come near me) were the monarchs at the time during the uprising for the idea of (Yumi turn your back) a revolution, Marie Antoinette being particularly famous for (Don't watch, don't look, Mom, I fell down) a saying of "They can't afford bread? Let them eat cake then!" which is actually (I fell down, Mommy…) a falsified quote, and not real at all (I fell down the rabbit hole…) according to historians…_

No, it wasn't working. He was foolish enough to glance over, now he couldn't concentrate. Growling in frustration, he took his hand away from Kiwi and slammed the book shut, shoving it aside. This happened every time he was left alone with himself to study. There were way too many secrets that he held, and behind the secrets that he knew, there were more secrets answering them, making his head swim with unanswered questions. The ones that were eventually answered just brought up more questions, leading to more secrets, leading to more discoveries, leading to more questions…because no one had a straight answer, or never answered straight.

The next thing he knew his notes were flung onto the floor in a blistering fury.**  
**

**To turn and run when all I needed was the truth**

Kiwi barked in surprise as Reese stood up over the notes, panting as he stared at his scrawled handwriting. Like he had dyslexia, the words began to dance around the page, forming gruesome new words, forcing him to remember things he would rather forget.**  
**

**But that's how it's got to be**

He gave the notebook a mighty kick, sending it sprawling and crumpling the paper. Wincing desperately with each breath, he slumped down onto his bed, picking up the drawing notebook, staring at the picture. The person in the picture, she despised him. And even if she didn't, Reese would make sure that she would, soon enough.

Reese would make sure she loathed him.**  
**

**It's coming down to nothing more than apathy**

After a while, he let the book slip from his hands, echoing as it hit the floor. He shoved the heels of his palms into his eyes as his lungs began to rock his body with heavy, chopped breaths.

Visions. More visions were coming to him. Violent. Angry. Resentful.

Violent.

Red.

Red that came from the one person he didn't want it to come from. It was a river now. Reese sobbed. He had failed. All he was doing now was running.**  
**

**I'd rather run the other way than stay and see**

And yet, he could only run so far. He had to stay at some point, as soon as he came up to the fork in the road, both of them leading to ends. All he had to do was back up, and perhaps he had missed a turn along the way. Besides, he needed to stop running to be here.

If he had passed these people by without his protection, what would become of them? He didn't want to learn.**  
**

**The smoke and who's still standing when it clears**

**Everyone knows I'm in  
Over my head  
Over my head**

Reese buried his clawed fingers into his thick, russet hair, digging into his scalp. Nothing was right! This shouldn't have happened! Go away, all of you! Go away! I don't want you to get hurt! I just don't…want…to hurt…you.

Her face flashed into his head for the thousandth time that week. And he knew.**  
**

**With eight seconds left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind  
**

He knew there was something about her that would play a huge role in this…this hell. And yet…he didn't want to know what.

_Macduff_!**  
**

**Let's rearrange**

And that horrible dream. Though he didn't want to know what role she specifically played…that dream he had the night before almost laid it out in black and white to him.

Macduff was a that he knew.

He was Macbeth.

He was supposed to beware of Macduff, because Macduff would be the of him.**  
**

**I wish you were a stranger I could disengage**

Suddenly he caught himself wishing he didn't know these people. With the sounds of screams in his head and the laughter in the hallway of kids coming back from supper, Reese gathered up his mess and set it accordingly before Odd came in. When he arrived, Reese was already in bed, presumably sleeping.**  
**

**Just say that we agree and then never change**

How much he had changed.**  
**

**Soften a bit until we all just get along**

Every time he saw her, he realized just that. He had changed so much since the last time he saw her two years ago. Now that she thought he was a completely different person, maybe it _was_ possible let down the steel walls, and let her in. He sensed that she did have some sort of interest in him. It shouldn't be too hard to just break down and let her through. As long as he kept his secret…**  
**

**But that's disregard**

No.**  
**

**Find another friend and you discard**

No, nevermind, he couldn't. He's almost losing his grip with the only one who really knew him. It was too complicated. There was no way he could do that. All he could do was push her away now. Heated anger, insults…he wouldn't allow her to even try to peek past the metal wall.

If she did, she'd get hurt.

It didn't matter if he lost to her in the material world. As long as he kept her at bay, it'd be fine.**  
**

**As you lose the argument in a cable car**

Drifting ever farther apart from the one you love when they don't even know it.**  
**

**Hanging above as the canyon comes between**

**Everyone knows I'm in  
Over my head  
Over my head**

Night. Beautiful, tranquil night. And the memories come racing back with no one to talk to now.

Reese found himself screaming maniacally in his solitude. This was way past him, to hold up an alias, to push his loved ones so far away…

To sit there in front of his mother's corpse, unable to do anything while at the same time knowing that it was his fault. He didn't save her.

And he had failed.**  
**

**With eight seconds left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind**

**Everyone knows I'm in  
Over my head  
Over my head**

He fell to his knees on the scraggy forest floor, clutching his head as more and more hurtful visions enlightened him with all the things he was running from, and all the things he allowed to happen, and even the things he was possibly allowing to happen at this moment. He didn't care who heard him now.

He just wanted her back. Both of them.**  
**

**With eight seconds left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind**

**And suddenly I become a part of your past**

Pushing him away, that's what she was doing. She was pushing the one who had hurt her away from her mind. He was part of the past now…she needed to look to the future.

_It wasn't his fault_…she reminded herself…_but then, why can't I think of him without thinking of that…?_

A horrid, pained wolf-like scream split the night, and she found herself torn. She recognized it. But she didn't know if she wanted to follow it.**  
**

**I'm becoming the part that don't last**

Yumi watched as Reese demonically sobbed to himself. He didn't know she was there, and she didn't plan on him knowing. Reese didn't matter to her at all. He wouldn't stay long in her memory once he left, if he stayed at all.**  
**

**I'm losing you and it's effortless**

Reese didn't want to lose so many people in his life. One was lost for good, and the four others…three of them were slipping dangerously fast and the other one was holding on…but Reese could sense that maybe she wouldn't hold onto him for long.

And there was absolutely nothing that he could do.**  
**

**Without a sound we lose sight of the ground**

Though he was afraid of heights, he wanted to fall. He already slipped into the rabbit's hole, this madness of a lifestyle. Why didn't he slip farther and farther…just to see what it was like in that pit? Because once you slid down a part of the rabbit hole…

There was no coming out.**  
**

**In the throw around**

Something pained in her chest. What was this? It was so foreign, yet so familiar…Yumi was afraid at first. Once she realized it was more comforting, she warmed up to it. But then…then she realized what it really was.

And she was more afraid of it now than she ever was before.**  
**

**Never thought that you wanted to bring it down**

_Two-face_

_Player_

_Heartless_

_Mockery_

_Son of an unmarried couple._

Yumi felt a scowl crawl up her face. Pin the blame on the donkey, that's what she was playing now. She had pinned the blame once before on the wrong person—one of her best friends. Now it was time to pin the blame to someone who rubbed salt in her wound, who picked at her scab once it healed, who kept adding trees to her fiery detestation.

This was the time to add the water to the deep pool he was already drowning him, adding more feet to the surface, making it over his head even more. But he still wouldn't stop. After he picked the scab, he would hand her a band-aid, drawing her in. Once she became a mite comfortable again, he'd pull away the scab to let her suffer again.**  
**

**I won't let it go down till we torch it ourselves**

**And everyone knows I'm in  
Over my head  
Over my head**

_I'm dying_…Reese thought, _I'm still alive, but I'm dying…_

_And all I can do is scream_.**  
**

**With eight seconds left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind**

**Everyone knows**

She beat at him with words.**  
**

**She's on your mind**

He returned her efforts.**  
**

**Everyone knows I'm in over my head**

But throughout the entire thing, he could only think of her…both of them. And he was lost in a familiar place. He had lost his ground when there was no ground to lose. Tensions just kept rising higher and higher. Fault was laid on heavier and heavier. There was no heaven to save him, because heaven shouldn't come down to earth. He needed an escape in a place where there was no need to escape.**  
**

**I'm in over my head**

The fire turned to water as tears were melting in her eyes, hot and painful. And it was his fault she was crying, too. Once again, it was his fault. Her tears added to the pool he was drowning in, adding to the depth, pulling him down so it was even farther over his head.**  
**

**I'm in over...  
**

It was so bad. For nights on end, it was so bad. Then, finally, he broke. If heaven's escape wouldn't come to him, then so be it. He would carve his own escape.**  
**

**Everyone knows I'm in  
Over my head  
Over my head**

He let a happen in the steel wall. It was an at first, but soon he learned to live with it. She saw the ugly scars on his back, and it wasn't long before she began to try and chisel the rest of the steel wall away.

And yet, as soon as Reese found hope in escaping, he learned. He learned by the hard way once again that there was no escape.

He learned that as he saw her sprawled weakly on the floor.

There was no escape, and the places to hide were running out. He understood now that his father had let this happen longer than what he initially intended, allowing for Reese and Yumi to go into overtime.

But now, the overtime had ticked to a zero.

And his father was making his move.**  
**

**With eight seconds left in overtime  
She's on your mind  
She's on your mind**

* * *

_Written in my head before I even had the idea for the tornado—heck, it was written in my head before I even thought about putting Macbeth in it—or even before I heard this song! Just an old plotline that I ditched because it was a little to repetitive and predictable. I changed it to a songfic when I realized that the song basically…fit. Hope you liked it, anyways!_

_LabyDwell_


	3. Chapter 14 total revamp

_DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE READ CHAPTER 14 FIRST!!_

_Okay. So all of chapter 14 was typed in one day when I was like…really sick. When I'm sick my mind tends to do…things. Like this. It's not supposed to be taken seriously. Seriously, don't take it seriously. I'm serious, man. As another warning, it includes useless and random things that may be stuff like swears or just plain stupid. All of the "XTRA" author notes past the chapter title are put in bold for your convenience. Kids, don't read this with a parent near your shoulder. (I'm one to talk)_

_Don't yell at me, I love doing these little non-plot things…off to the side…crap that I can...put on this side story hole. It's just so fantastic, I think my kitty just jumped onto my lap! Noooo, kitty! Don't fall asleep, noooo! Now I can't type no mores!!_

**Chapter Fourteen: Scorched**

_Running out of places…_

When we had returned for school after winter break, a new semester had started—meaning that I had dropped the health class (thank God!)**Hallelujah holly, break out the champagne, ho ho ho.** and had moved on to a music class.

I don't think it took very long for the teacher to discover that music was in fact a hidden passion of mine. Given, we got rid of our piano quite a while ago, but that doesn't exactly mean I didn't get more than enough chances to play it, especially in random places such as school.** In bars too, hoo hoo.** The teacher seemed a little too thrilled that I had an interest in music, and constantly pestered me about accompanying the art teacher for maybe some help in a sort of musical. **Suck-up.**

Pffft. I'll stick to playing piano for classroom projects, thanks.** Total suck-up.**

Speaking of which, this whole thing had also revealed to basically everyone else that yes indeed, I was rather good at playing piano** Oh really? I suck**—and just music in general. The people included on who learned this were Jeremy, Aelita, and yes…Yumi. **Oh la la, first time he said the name!**

The thought of Yumi **second **suddenly brings anxiety to my brain, as I know with every look she gives me that she's dangerously close to pulling me aside one night to ask me just all the questions she's been meaning to ask me for the past three months ever since that tornado hit. Being finally signed up for the martial arts class didn't help either.

I surprised even myself with how good I still was, despite the fact I only got out to practice about once every week or so. Yumi **third **was a bit shocked too, at first. But before I knew it the past was repeating itself all over again—if not with a little bit of apathy to spice it up. The only thing that had changed, really, is my added height and strength that really only had a small asset to Yumi's **fourth** ferocity. Finally, after so long, finally I was able to see the old Yumi **fifth **again. This was her game and her life—and the rules were anything goes.

As a side note, I just realized that Jim has gray hairs. Quite a bit of them, too.** OLD FART**

**lol, fart.**

Mr. Delmas was more than generous enough to let Nevaeh come and stay with me every other weekend, but every time I tried to thank him discreetly **creety creety discreetly** he'd always wave me off—probably because it just brought back the memory of being humiliated in front of two students by a seventy-four year old lady on the phone. Oh well. We have a record of it, that's all we need.

In turn, Nevaeh's stays with us have been quite memorable, especially to her and the new friends she made.** Awww.**

Odd made a quick bond with Nevaeh in his jokester way, clowning about with her and making her giggle to the point where I'd worry over her health. Odd would always tell me not to dwell upon it too much, as Kiwi would look over her. I don't know if Kiwi liked little kids, but Nevaeh didn't seem to mind as she played with the dog's features so much that she made a game out of it. I almost felt sorry for the dog as he gave me a death stare, ears flat and lips pulled back to as far as Nevaeh could stretch them. **Sounds like what I would do to dogs, cuz kitties are better yo. I like cats. **At least he was tolerant with her.

Jeremy, albeit the sulk-monster** RAAAAR!** that he was, often came and visited with us if Nevaeh just happened to be around. Most of the time it was just to curtly give Nevaeh a small trinket for her to keep, and she would always respond with a generous thank you, even though sometimes that gratefulness had to be urged by me first. Something told me that he deeply liked my little sister; it's just the fact that she was related to me made him a little more distant to her than he would've liked.

Aelita visited me with Nevaeh as often as she could, overly fascinated and enjoyed by her curiosity and her fantasies. **flabbergastia **More often than not she'd jump right in to Nevaeh's imagination, playing along with whatever she desired. Nevaeh warmed right up to Aelita only about an hour faster than the others, and thoroughly loved it when she was around.

And every now and then when Aelita came, Yumi** sixth** followed quietly behind, like a silent, embarrassed black ghost. Her hesitation, of course, didn't fly past my sister's head, and Yumi **seventh** unwillingly found herself at the center of attention as Nevaeh pulled her into her little play world. It's not like Yumi **eighth **didn't have any experience with toddlers, it's just the fact that once again, Nevaeh was related to me. Still, Yumi **ninth** got over this wall a little bit and danced along with her, letting the little girl toy with her however she pleased. At certain moments where she had forgotten everything about life beforehand, I saw a piece of Yumi **tenth **that I had rarely ever seen before after I came back: sweet laughter, pure good-natured humor, and a type of succulent joy that was so hard to find nowadays. For some reason, Nevaeh had a certain impact on everyone that seemed to squeez**er-doodles** all of the good feelings out—from even the most shut up. Indeed yes, I did see Jeremy smile and laugh as Nevaeh pulled off a few of her cute stunts.

When I say that she squeezed**er-doodles** all of the good feelings out in the open, I mean it for me possibly more than anybody else. It was all so strange and dream-like, whenever Nevaeh was around or the thought of Nevaeh stuck in my mind I became…shall we say, free. All of the past horrors, all of the mishaps and dangers and fears, they all dissipated into the relaxation and freedom that Nevaeh's innocence offered. I didn't have to lie with her. I didn't need to push her away. This was Nevaeh, and this was me. Every time she fell asleep on my chest in the middle of the bedtime story, and every time I took a breath with her weighing me down I felt a sort of softness that I hadn't felt in far too long a time. Nevaeh was mine. For a while, I was truly happy—and so was a lot of people around me. It was a release, yes.** oh my god the fluff and floofy happiness is killing me. Brain…pink…liquid…oozing out…fluffy shit…invading…capacity…**

But a painfully short one.** Whew, fluffy shit overtaken by Tinny my pet xenomorph.**

It was a Saturday on a week that Nevaeh stayed with Mrs. Periwinkle. Spring had finally arrived, and all of the snow had melted away,** I want the snow to do that here** leaving the days lukewarm. In the afternoon we were to take a trip to an amusement park for a 'physics' test on the rides. Though many were excited for it, I silently stayed off to the sides. Parks meant rides. Rides meant roller coasters. Roller coasters meant heights. Heights at high speed meant a huge no-no.** WEE. Rollar coastars! I loves dem so much!** To my relief, there were a few other people that for their own reasons couldn't stomach a high-speed joy ride, so I basically hung out with them and a teacher chaperone, namely Mrs. Meyer. As she apparently said, she was a month in. In other words, she was expecting.** She be teh preggers.**

The day was gray and a little dreary, but nothing stopped the excitement of all of the amusement-lovers as they raced around, not giving a crap about physics but giving all they had for the best rides the park had to offer. Our little group of poopers** lol he said poop** did some things, bought popcorn, talked, went on some of the rides that weren't as severe as a roller coaster, and, of course, people watched.

It was during one of those rest moments of people watching. I was standing because there was no place to sit, and all the others were just sitting and blither-blathering **one of my friend's favorite sayings **about whatever they pleased. My eyes wandered about the sparse crowd, watching random scenes unfold before me. Strollers, parents, kids, **executioners, some unicorns, a few flower beasts, a Digimon or two, a vampire hunter, maybe a few werewolves, some doo-doo droppings, **random groups of teenagers from our school and others…

That's when our eyes met. Slate gray ones to lime green ones, both our eyes widened to dish plates, and I quickly excused myself. **(cue Chariots of Fire music!)** Her mouth had opened in shock, and if I had left any more time ticks **I hate ticks with a passion** in between, she just might say the wrong thing.

Taking a large sprint over, I bounded right to the group of friends she was with, including the nameless boy that she undoubtedly liked. She barely had time to utter a syllable **I didn't mean it, Westley, every last syllabub! (omfg Princess Bride book reference) **before my hand slapped over her mouth.

"U—,"

"Don't. Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't," **YES!** I immediately whispered in a plea. The boy's eyes flashed in sarcasm as he quaintly replied.

"Wow, Tara, first off that's the first time a boy's ever run to you like that, and second off that's the most I've ever heard come out of his mouth in like, ever,"

Tara. Goddammit. Such a wrong time to reunite.

Uneasily I removed my hand from her mouth as she breathily replied to the boy in a voice dripping with fake venom.

"Shut up, Derek. Just shut…up," **Hmm, sounds like me. Only I don't have a boyfriend, and I don't know ANYONE named Derek.**

The boy, Derek, looked as if he was about to give a sharp, playful retort, but followed her order **OBEY THE FIST **nonetheless as she continued, hoarsely asking me one very good and simple question.

"What the crap happened to you…?"

A very good question indeed.

"Oh, oh shi—…I…damn," I grabbed Tara by the shoulders, ducking behind a building so my group lost sight of me. **I wanted to type restroom building, but for some reason I just couldn't.** I faced her against the wall, roughly in a panic. Tara was overly confused herself, and, dare I say it, scared.

"Oh damn…where do I start…?"

Tara stole a glance back at her friends, possibly telling them to stay where they were. She looked back up at me with yet again a simple answer.

"Start at the beginning,"** no duhr, idiot.**

"…What did you notice when I first moved to your school?" I asked, trying to get a grip on** reality** where I should even start this story.

"Your cheek. And that every few days or so your…uh, skin got uh…,"

"Butchered?" I put in, suddenly into this, "Destroyed? Mauled? Beaten?** Eaten? Blown up? Nuclear wasted? Brick'd? Tyrannosaurus Rex'd? Paralyzed? Cute-i-fied?**"

Tara scrunched her eyes closed and shook her head to rid her mind of the word choice I had provided.** lol**

"Y-Yeah, that…,"

"And don't tell me—I'm a murderer turned into a ghost, **OMG WEEE! Fun times! **right?" I sharply said, feeling unexplained anger rise through my muscles.

"Well I-I,"

"_Right?_" I confirmed, starting to lose it. Tara still kept her eyes closed as she answered.

"Yes—no, I don't know. I don't know anything.** No, little girl, no you don't.** Ul—what's going on?" she slipped. I forced myself to calm down through a few deep breaths.

"It's Reese," I clarified, "Reese Anders now. Let's just say…I'm under alias** I've never even seen that show**,"

Tara opened her eyes, honestly curious and still confused. I launched into a very shortened summary of everything I had gone through, starting with leaving Kadic and my father's abuse, and hastily ending at Aelita, the newscast's mistake, and the paranoia **(Paternophobia: Fear of your freakin' father. I think. I dunno. I am sleepy. I need food.)** I have that my father is out looking for me. By the time I was done, Tara's eyes were wide in astonishment.

"Reese…that's it, right?" she asked. I nodded to her, and she went on, "I knew it. Oh I knew we should've told someone. We were going to, actually. That week that you left…we were seriously going to tell someone that Friday.** Pfft. Sure you were.** But then you were gone. We didn't know what to do after that. Derek** omfg I just read that as Duck. XD**—you know, that annoying boy of mine** stop showing off, bitch**—suggested that we wait just one more school day after a week…was it a week or so? I don't remember, but all I do remember is going home that night and finding the…the newscast…you know.

"After that I was so scared that I had seriously screwed **facehuggers screw yer face** up. I couldn't sleep for nights. After a while I was able to sleep, but always when I was alone I just couldn't help…,"

I let out a long, low breath. There was a second or so of silence before Tara picked up again.

"And then I saw you here…I didn't know what to think. I thought you were just a likeness of, well, you know. **Yeah, sure, with a scar and everything. Good one, squishy. **Then you looked up at me and recognized me, and I just…I don't know. I don't know."

She shook her head, a short lonely braid of her crimson hair next to her face swishing **swishy-swashy the border states were wishy-washy (United States Civil War crap) **back and forth. I looked at her for a while, sadly calm.

"If only I had said something sooner…," **Hmm, where have I heard of a phrase like that before? Oh my god, try EVERYWHERE** she whispered, still kicking herself for her mistake.

"Yeah, things may have been different," I supplied for her, "But there's nothing you can do. Tara, this is going to sound bizarre,** have you ever noticed how Code Lyoko uses the word 'bizarre' a lot?** but I need you to keep your mouth shut for just a little longer,"

Tara immediately straightened her gaze to me, utterly shocked. Before she could ask, I went on.

"It's going to kill you, I know. But I need you to stay quiet, _please._ You can tell your friends—they're good people. Honestly, Tara, this is for the best. Or maybe it's not. I know only a little bit more than you do. Please, just don't tell. _Please_. If something happens this time around, the weight won't be on your shoulders if you didn't tell. It'll all be me. Please, I know it's hard to understand, but you've gotta try. I don't want you or anybody else to get hurt. Whoever's dead in that river—_that's _the Ulrich Stern you knew. Please, Tara," **whiney-ass beggar.**

Tara was silent for a long time as she stared at me straight in the eye, processing **omg like a robot **what she should do. For a while I was frightened she might say no, but after a while she finally gave in.

"Okay…Alright. Whatever you say. You know about this more than I do, that's for sure. I'm just…I'm just glad you're alive at least. I'm sorry about…you know," she finalized, saying a good-bye with a sorry.

"Her death wasn't your fault," **OMG YES IT WAS only not** I said, stepping to the side as she slowly inched away from the concrete building.

"I know…I know that…," she said softly, forcing herself to believe it. I was about to let her go when something caught my mind, and I grasped her arm, making her turn her head around.

"Tara, wait," I paused, mouthing a few syllables** more syllabubs** before continuing, "I…never thanked you for your hospitality," I confessed. She forced out a smile for her final answer to me, as well as the last few words until our hopeful next meeting.

"You never needed to," **why am I suddenly thinking of Batman now…?**

She jogged back into her group of friends, and I watched, mystified as they slowly blundered away to some of the park rides. I shook my head a few times, and returned to my group just as they were going to send out a few people to get me, seeing as if Kadic was leaving for the day.

It really was such a bad timing for a reunion.

HIDDEN: Your true self waits at every corner

Like some sort of Japanese Dragon.** Like, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, only that was freakin' Chinese, you idiot. (runs and cries)**

There was ground, and there was gravity, though I couldn't see it. Everything was black—a nothing type of black. The air was moist and thick** and full of puke and sewage and cotton candy**, and rather sickening** no duh (except for the cotton candy)**. It was also very heavy with something, but I couldn't place it…until the zombie caught my vision, and I suddenly realized it.

Panic.

It was the Yumi **eleventh** zombie again, but she looked darker, more evil and definitely a lot angrier than before. Her entire aura seemed to spell out 'YOUR FAULT' as she stared at me, the thin pupils very catlike and demanding. She said nothing, but raised her clawed **I really want zombie claws for fingers **hands. All of the sudden new shapes appeared, in the figures of huge, black, wolfish dogs with giant shoulders sloping downwards to the rear, where a short tail swept back into nothingness. They were very rugged, sinister and feral, their eyes glowing softly in the blackness. There was a whole sea of them alongside the zombie and behind her, growling, snarling, and constantly dripping hungry saliva from the heavily fanged mouths. It was evident, they wanted meat.** Yay! Meeeeat iiiiis gooood.**

Hellhounds. **Um…YAY AGAIN!**

The zombie spoke. It was short and vengeful, and like all the others, haunting. The only thing was, it was spoken as if it was a fragment. It was most definitely not a complete sentence.

why I not bolded?

"Open for attack!"

The dogs—the hellhounds **Yay once more!**, suddenly all started to bark and snarl louder than before, and each of their barks chanted one thing:

_Macduff! Macduff! __**MacRUFF! MacRUFF! Wooo!**_

Then, one yowled. The rest followed. Yumi **twelfth** stepped back, and they leaped. Fangs were at my neck, claws pinned me down, and mouths greedily took from my gut. Then—

Morning. **Awww, no more pains?**

Sunday morning. Odd was messily sprawled over his cot again, and Kiwi was tangled in my legs. **Like my cat in the morning** I have to admit it wasn't long before Kiwi was disturbed and Odd was left alone in the room. I was lucky this morning. I actually slept until nine a.m.

When I got to the courtyard** of DOOM** I was greeted with a nice morning surprise of a reincarnation of the main figure of my nightmare, only with more normal colored skin.

Yumi ** thirteenth **stood with Aelita, gently talking to her and clutching something very, very familiar to me. Though the sheath had been replaced with a lighter, fancy black leather one, the hilt remained the same deep wine red it had always been, catching the sunlight in that same mournful way. **omg emo.**

_That must've been…what she wanted to talk to Mr. Delmas about…_something clicked** I say clicked a lot in this chapter** in my head.

She must have to use my sword instead of her family's ancient katana for martial arts practice. Now that I think about it I remember Jim wanting to ask Yumi** fourteenth** a few questions off to the side during class. That must've been what it was, permission to bring a martial arts weapon for class to school. Apparently it was an affirmative, and must've been the reason why Yumi **fifteenth **was here on a weekend.** Haha almost plot-hole cleverly covered up at last second.**

As they were near the vending machines, and of course because my mouth was dry, I was a tad forced to encounter them and maybe eavesdrop on some conversation. My mouth was just dry, seriously. I swear it.** Liar.**

"…What do you mean another girl?" Aelita asked as I approached. Yumi** sixteenth **flinched as I did, but kept talking nonetheless.

"I mean I saw him at the park. He was talking to someone else. Aelita…are you um, sure that he…,"

"Wait, you're saying that in the first place _I _have feelings for—," **of course you do**

"Wait, no, nevermind. It's just that…,"** I LOVE HIM, OKAY THANKS BYE**

The machine filled up my cup in that moment's silence where Yumi **seventeenth **struggled to find an answer or excuse.

"I, I have to go. Put this away. Um…see ya," she uneasily said as she jogged away just a little too fast. Aelita waited a moment more to make sure no one was going to come near when she picked up where Yumi** eighteenth** had left off.

"You talked to another girl that wasn't from this school yesterday?" she inquired as I sipped the hot soap-water chocolate. I accidentally inhaled **(somebody made me inhale applesauce the other day at school. It went up my nose, but thankfully did not come out it)** some of it when she mentioned the girl, and began to choke for a minute or so. Aelita patted my back until I stopped coughing, and waited for me to reply.

"Y-yeah I did…that was Tara, remember…? The girl I told you about from my other school?"

Aelita nodded, "Yeah. Yumi **nineteenth** said she saw you um, intimately talk to her. She must've known you as, well, the other you, huh?"

I slid my jaw **I love doing that when bored **to the side as I contemplated what she told me, "Yeah. She knew me the other way around. Thank God I got to her when I did before she started shouting my name across the park. I just gave her the heads up on what the crud was going on in my life. You have to agree—that is a little intimate," **what I write here?**

There was a pause in our conversation as a few kids collected some drinks from the machine, separating me and Aelita **oh noes apocalypse! **for a second or so. When they had cleared, I asked her a question or two.

"So you say that Yumi **twentieth **saw me then?" Aelita confirmed this with a nod. I let out a whoosh of air and ruffled my hair nervously.

"Did she say if she heard anything…?" I uneasily said. Aelita made no hesitation** I say that word a lot too** to reply, easing the nerves.

"No. First of all it was way too loud at that park; second of all she apparently didn't want to be seen. That's all she told me so far until you walked up,"

Whew. I can relax again.** omg zoolander is the stoopidz**

"Any heads up on Lyoko?" I asked quietly, noticing Jeremy obviously avoiding us. Aelita shrugged and knocked her head from side to side.

"Sort of. Xana seems to have calmed down ever since he attacked with the clone. Not calmed down so much that he's been quiet, but calmed down enough that he probably wouldn't be trying anything that bad anytime soon. Other than that…,"

"Same ol', same ol'?" I finished. Yeah, exploring the Digital Sea must be cool, but like always, something must get boring eventually.** No duhr, moonscoop.**

"Yeah," Aelita said.** I think my cat just clawed a hole in my pants…**

"Goody," I replied. Silence passed between us for quite a while before we parted to do our own thing. **False alarm, thank god.**

Besides, Odd had woken up. The courtyard was sure to turn into a monkey house if I were to linger there.

HILARITY: Um, crazy spiked hair with a giant purple stripe through it?

Jeez, what an oddball.

The gym was empty. Some red mats were propped up against the wall, ready to be used if needed to. I slid out of my jacket and replaced my gloves with thick black strips of cloth specifically made for martial arts training. After I was thoroughly done wrapping them around my hands in that specific way, I grabbed one of the mats and laid it down on the ground, using my foot to guide it to the place I wanted it to be. As I took my shoes off, a door from one of the locker rooms shut, the banging sound ringing throughout the gym. In the middle of slipping off my second shoe I glanced up, seeing Yumi **twenty-first **standing in front of the door. I debated on putting my jacket back on, but something inside pestered me to just let it be. Instead I concentrated on taking my sock off.

I heard Yumi's **twenty-second **steps echo on the floor as she slowly approached. I didn't look up at her until my shoes and socks were stowed away near my jacket and gloves. When I did she met my gaze directly, unwavering with a little fire, but burning with both questions and anger. Thank god the questions overtook the anger.

She didn't take her boots off as she stepped onto the mat with me. Words didn't need to be exchanged; it was already known and official. It was an accepted challenge.** I shut up mostly except for counting now cuz I like this part.**

Without even bowing the first blow was delivered by the both of us, Yumi **twenty-third** giving a rather high round kick and me stepping in and punching at her. I felt the wind of the round kick graze my ear as I moved in with my fist. She caught it right before it hit her cheek and twisted her hips even more as she controlled her leg so it hit my neck. There was no re-chamber involved so it didn't hurt; it was just a stun technique. Flowing with pure instinct, my left hand closed into a fist and jabbed forth in a low uppercut aimed to her stomach. Yumi **twenty-fourth **spat a breath of air in my face in preparation for the blow and in an attempt to confuse me. The punch blew into her stomach, to which she bent her spine back to help take the blow. The wind got into my eyes and made them temporarily dry. Forced to flutter my lids a bit, I was left off-guard for a split second. Yumi** twenty-fifth** took her chance perfectly and re-chambered her leg way back into a side kick chamber, and let it loose. I had enough time and warning to stride off to the side, therefore having her painful boot just kicking the left side of my gut instead of the center of it. It still hurt like hell, but it was in a less vital area. **like your (bleepers of bad bad word) or something, right?**

Without hesitation to counter her kick I hop-stepped in just as she retracted her leg in an offensive side kick—similar to the standing side kick Yumi just threw, only moving inwards. Yumi** twenty-sixth** jerked backwards by reflex and barely halved the slam by throwing her arm down so I kicked her hip instead of her chest. I set my foot down, closing the space between us so there was almost enough room to breathe each other's air. Yumi **twenty-seventh** took immediate advantage of the mat and threw her hand, grabbing the shirt around the back of my neck as well as a bit of my scruff. Her other hand grabbed the thigh area of my pants leg. She lifted on the leg and jammed down the pressure on my neck, squeezing her knee into my stomach to allow a base for a human-like lever.

Using my own weight against me she flipped me through the air. Little did she know that's what I wanted her to do. As soon as she began to lift me up I grabbed her waist and shoulder in a mega-drag, pulling her down with me as I flipped. In result I fell pretty badly in terms of how you're supposed to do a back fall, but I had my chin tucked in far enough that my head didn't experience a whiplash. Yumi **twenty-eighth** uttered a surprised gasp as she fell with me, and before she knew it she had landed ungracefully on top of me. Since I was prepared for this to happen Yumi** twenty-ninth** was tossed to the side like a rag doll as I rolled, fixing my legs with hers so they were locked and she couldn't kick. My left hand found an arm of hers and pinned it to her stomach, while my right wrist pressed onto her neck, as if to restrict her breath.** OMG RAPE?!** A minute or two passed with us like that, both panting hard as a smirk flashed across Yumi's** thirtieth** face.

"Good one," she congratulated. I merely panted in reply, but in the middle of the fray** I simply adore that band** I had forgotten one important thing.

"But not good enough!" Yumi **thirty-first **exclaimed as she took her unlocked hand, enclosed it into a fist, and punched my face sideways.

Ow.** Your fault, doofus.**

The match was fairly called a draw—one for me for catching Yumi** thirty-second** by total surprise with the mega-drag, and one for her for having the last say with her hit. Though I wanted to stay and practice more, instinct screamed at me to leave before any questions were asked.

Obviously I didn't leave fast enough. I didn't even make it close to my things before Yumi **thirty-third** reached up and grabbed me backwards with a rear choke. **Go Go Girl Power!**

"You're not going anywhere, boy," she seethed in my ear, "Sit. Now,"

Inwardly groaning, I let her ease her grip on me before pushing her away and sitting down on the red mat. Yumi** thirty-fourth** sat cross-legged opposite of me and took in a breath to calm herself down. I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from her as I anticipated the storm that was undoubtedly edging to come.

"Your sister certainly has me and my friends occupied," she began softly. I sensed she was hiding back some pretty strong negative emotions, but started with this one instead.

"Mmm…she tends to do that** I tend to poop**," I replied, looking down and closing my eyes.

"It's funny how much you show your care for her…,"** (It's funny how much I poop)**

Funny? Here comes the bomb. **(Funny? Here comes the poop)**

"Mmm** poop**," came my response, as neutral as ever. After all I knew what was bound to happen next. **Bound to poop next**

"…and yet you don't seem to show even a fraction of that **poop **care to anybody else," she finished, an edge of **poopiness **acid to her voice. I didn't **poop for once **flinch.

"You really **poop a lot** love her, don't you?" she said, her voice wavering with **more poopiness **emotion, "What about Aelita? Or hey, what about Aelita when you were **pooping that one time **talking to that other girl?"

"That 'other **poop **girl' just happens to be one of my friends from my old school," I retorted, immediately defending **the poop **Tara.

"Just a friend?" Yumi **thirty-fifth poop **shot. **(oh my god, accident. XD thirty fifth poop shot)**

"She has a boyfriend, **named Poops-a-Lot **Derek," I **pooped **confirmed.

"And no one gives a **poop **crap about Jeremy…!" Yumi **thirty-sixth** broke. Ohhhh **poop **shit. So _this_ is where she was taking it. I knew it was stupid to say this, but I did nonetheless.

"It's none of your **poopin'** business—,"

"None of my **poopin' **business? News flash, **poop **hot shot, Jeremy is my **poop **_friend_, and Aelita is too. Whatever you're doing to her—done to her, whichever—it's…you just don't understand **the poop **at all."

Of course I don't understand** the poop**. Of course I don't care** about the poop**. Of course I show my **not going to say that here **love only to Nevaeh, because she's the only **poop **_safe_ person I can show it to. Of course, of course, of course.

Of course _you_ don't understand** the dark side of the poop!**.

"Oh yeah. **Poop **_Bitch._ _Please_," I angrily muttered. Yumi's **thirty-seventh** eyes flashed in **poopiness **anger. I ignored that as I finally looked up, brow furrowed in an **pooped **irked manner.

"You have a strong **Nu-uh, not going to say it here either **bond with your friends, yes?" I asked rhetorically, "Then why are you **pooping **speaking for them? Don't you think that if they had a **poopin' **problem with me** oh shi—that didn't work out** they'd be smart **lol smart I am not **enough to talk to me themselves?" I challenged. Score, big **poopin' **guy. Yumi** thirty-eighth** flinched and retracted back, her lip curled over her canine**'s** **poop **tooth.

"What is this I'm seeing here?** I am seeing poop. I see pooped people.** Why are you speaking in such a way about your **poop **'_friend_' Aelita? What _is_ this** feeling, so sudden and new**?"** I felt the moment, I LAID EYES ON YOU.** **My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing—WHAT IS THIS FEELING? Fervent as a flame, does it have a name, yeeeesssss…**

**LOATHING.**

**UNADULTERATED**

**LOATHING.**

A growl puttered about in Yumi's** thirty-ninth** throat, and her** poop** legs slowly uncrossed. Her motions were lost on me as I finally pulled together my **poops **conclusions on the tongue.

"Is this…God **poopin' **forbid, is this **your poop **_jealousy_? Come now, tell me—is it really _jealousy_?" **Is this really your poop?**

A harpy war cry blasted past Yumi's** fortieth** lips as she leaped, slamming me back on the mat. Her hands clenched about the rungs of my tank top, sweating and shaking. Creased in an angry wildcat way, her face growled over mine, teeth bared and eyes wildly angry. Nothing but a **poop **smirk dominated my face. I had got her.** God this is getting really disgusting. (only getting?)**

But was she really all that **pooped **jealous…?** (and yet I still continue)**

Yumi** forty-first** looked as though she was about to carry on with this heated spat of hers, until she must've seen **some poop **something out of the corner of her **poop **eye. The anger faded almost instantly as she glanced down at my tussled shirt, and almost instantly **oh my god I suck, 'almost instantly' in the same sentence, you tard **she gave a cry and let go of my tank top, sitting back up on my stomach. Slightly **pooped **confused at first, I propped **pooped** myself up on both elbows. Yumi's** forty-second** eyes never left my chest. I glanced down, then bit my lip. **(you do realize I could've put that word in a lot more than I have and have it be almost unbearable)**

She must've seen a few of my abundant **poops **scars—including a **poopin' **cheese grater one.

Yumi** forty-third** scrambled back so she was off of me as I sat up straight, scratching the back of my head and wondering how the **poop** hell I was going to work myself out of this **poop **one.

"I-I guess that was my next…," **I guess that was my next poop.**

"Ehhhh, no. Sorry. No," I quickly responded, fixing my tank top so the collar line was higher up on my chest. **Poop Nazi says 'no poop for you.'**

"B-But how…," **But how, Poop Nazi…**

"I said no," I replied, sharply this time. Yumi** forty-fourth** shook her head multiple times to rid the vision from her mind, and still persisted.** No poop for you.**

"Wh-What did you do to yourself…?" she asked into thin air, apparently not expecting an answer.** How could you do this to your poop, Poop Nazi?**

She didn't get one either.** (I actually do not watch Seinfeld, hurr hurr hurr)**

Having had quite enough of this** poopin' conversation**, I stood up and hastily grabbed my jacket and roughly pulling it on, discreetly slipping the yin-yang necklace** omfg do I sense a plothole??** into my pocket and removing my martial arts wrappings.

"Y-Your scars…,"** Y-Your poops…** Yumi** forty-fifth** finally said after a while, "How many do…do…,"

"I don't know what you're **poopin' **talking about," I said falsely, putting my shoes on. Yumi **forty-sixth** **pooped **muttered some sort of defeated sound **poop** effect as I headed out the door. I blinked as I stepped into the sunlight.** I have had quite enough of this poopin' conversation, I shall not have any more of this poopin' rubbish, good day sir.**

There was bound to be more questions to come after _that_ encounter.** O RLY?**

When I got into the courtyard I noticed a few parents running about with the kid trailing behind** on an electrified leash**. After a while I found Odd, Aelita, and Jeremy on a park bench and walked up to them.

"Um, what's up with all the parents** and electrified jellyfish child-babies running behind them**?" I asked, jerking my thumb over my shoulder to indicate** evil destroyer robots wreaking havoc on my precious bandanas **them.

"Oh that?" Odd** is emo goth hahahahaha** piped, "Didn't you get the memo? It's parent-teacher conference day** where they have the kids act like electrified silly little jelly fish things bwahahahaha**!"

Ohhhh. That.

Wait, _Oh! That! _**Déjà vu much?**

Ohhhhh boy. **omfg I just LOVE Quantum Leap! **Maybe it's just me, but the thought of that brings my stomach **flu is uber sickly **to replace my heart** will go on and on so stop whining and crying** and vice versa. Or maybe it was just the feeling that I've been having all day.

You know, that sick**ly** gut feeling that something **stupid **bad is happening or will happen. I don't know. It's probably just my paranoia again.

And I'm going to keep telling myself that until it comes true.

Or not.

**I like duckies.**

SACRIFICE: More of the willing type, really.

Like, pink-willing type.

Evening hit rather coolly **as in temperature wise. Evenings do not have attitude if you missed that part **with a little cold front in the way. That gut feeling** lol guts** had stayed with me, growing stronger as the day wore on, but I forced myself to ignore it. Parent-teacher conferences** with the jellyfish children drones** were still going on, though it had slowed down noticeably from the afternoon** because the children had been knocked into a coma from the jellyfish impressions**. Yumi** forty-seventh** had decided to stay the entire day and night here since her parents had already come and gone** with Hiroki on a jellyfish rampage**. The gang was hanging out just around the **sickly **vending machines, just talking and stuff** in MY HOME? NEVERRR!**. I was sitting on a bench near them, sideways to the gate. I was in the middle of reading another Stephen King book—specifically _Misery_** I understand many of you want to do to me what that freakish Misery chick did to the author in that book, but frankly I don't care**—and for some reason in the middle of a sentence** this strange author butts in and uses the word 'butt'** I had the curious** curiouser and curiouser!** urge to look up at the entryway.

No…it couldn't be, could it…?** It's a bird, no, a plane, no, it's…OMG IT'S A METEOR, AAAAGH! (commercial break for Superman—the VERY early stages)**

"Nevvie…?" I quietly asked the air. She was standing right there—shivering from the cold. Right in the entrance to one side. **On the right side, if you want to know **She looked at me very fearfully, and something lurched into my throat.** It was a duckie.**

This wasn't right. Something is very, very wrong with this picture.** No duhr, Sherlock.**

"Reese?" Aelita asked, noticing I was staring at something. Something slowly, magically clicked **There it is again! **in my brain, and my voice was hard and demanding.

"Aelita, the vending machines. Get in there. Now."** save the whales.**

Rather than question me even though she looked like she didn't understand, she obliged, edging her friends to go with her. Odd, being the thorough idiot that he is, protested rather than move. **or reanimate them, whichever.**

"Huh? I don't get—,"** It completely eluuuudes me!**

"_Move, _damn you!" I cursed, scowling at him and shoving him into the little shack** shack shack, lol** that protected the vending machines. I was about to step back out when Aelita caught my jacket and asked me one question with her fear-filled eyes. Somehow she slightly understood. And yet she wanted to know the entire story.

Before I could say anything, someone answered for her.

"Come and tell me, Nevaeh, where exactly does big brother live?" **LUKE THIS IS YER FATHER**

That hideous, dark, hateful voice. Shit. **(he actually really meant to say poop)**

"Shit, shit, shit, shit,** ping pong ploop fizzy doom** damn and fuck** and some more useless unintelligent swears**," I swore in a hushed manner, forcing myself to press against the wall with the others. Everyone gave me the curious**er I love Alice in Wonderland** eye at to what I was so uppity about, before we heard a scream.

It stiffened my spine like liquid nitrogen.** Liquid Nitro, yo.** My head unwillingly banged against the metal wall as the scream **banana **split the silence and peace. Damn that gut **my stomach hurts with flu **feeling. Damn it to Hell.

It was** fnucking** right.

"Bruggerrrrrr!!** booger**" Nevaeh screeched. My teeth clacked together and began to grind as my eyes scrunched tight.

No. This isn't happening. This _can't_ be happening. Wake up, damn you, wake up!** You're already awake, welcome to my nightmare, bwaha—hack cough die.**

"Bruggerrrrrr!! **booger**" She called out again, more desperate this time. My hands closed into fists of rage and helplessness. People in the courtyard began to murmur amongst themselves, when suddenly everything strangely went silent to me.

There was a crunching on the dirty gravel yard as he took steps deeper into Kadic. Him. My father. My goddamned father.** LUUUKE**

This isn't happening. It's a dream. It's all a dream. Wake up. Someone say Macbeth, someone say Macduff,** well, I could say Macbeth or Macduff but it wouldn't make a goddamn difference so there, tough beans.** I don't care! **Oh I know you care. **This is a dream, wake up! Wake up!

Nevaeh began to let loose very soft murmured cries, every now and then calling out for me. My mouth hung open in pain and I writhed **haggis anyone?** against the metal, almost stepping out into sight.

Aelita caught me by the neck gently** omfg MURDER**, and my tear-skimmed** wait, skimmed? wtf?** gaze turned to her. She shook her head desperately, even though she knew the pain I was going through. She was the smart one alright, but it was unbearable to just _stand_ there! **Or sit.**

It's fake. **fake rhymes with rake **It's all fake. Wake up. Wake up now.

_This is real_. I mouthed to her, my breaths choppy**-it-up and toss it in the soup bowl**. Aelita bit down on her **cherry red fat **lip**s of your best Jack Skellington nightmare** and slowly, sorrowfully nodded.

This is real**ly getting pretty weird**.

"What is this? I know I saw him, he was sitting right…here…," **LUKE, THIS IS YER FATHER, YOU STOLED MY CHEETOS **My father said, most likely standing at the bench I was just at. Nevaeh whimpered, but was cut short. **I only like the flamin' hot cheetos.**

I did _not_ want to know how.** Oh! Ohhh! I want to know! I wanna know! Pick me, Pick me!**

He took a few more steps, once again whistling _Stairway to Heaven_.** aka the theme to Star Wars!** Suddenly, through the sweat on my fingers, my book dropped to the ground. **Dirt on my book? God NOOOOOO! **It may have been quiet in reality, but to me it sounded like a bomb**er man is old and I haven't played it in forever**.

My father stopped whistling** the happy pretty pony tune**. Suddenly I knew where he was going to look next.

And suddenly I remembered something very, very vital.** Like your (bleepers the very very bad word)?**

I suddenly remembered my father's undying hatred for the Orientals.** Say bye-bye to your precious fnucking Naruto.**

I glanced over at Yumi** forty-eighth** standing beside Odd and made a very **Speed Racer! **fast decision. I leaped across him and grabbed her mouth. She gave a frightened shudder as her eyes flew open.** My name is a type of cheese** I took my hand away and basically squashed** (Imma squash you lika mosquito)** her against the wall in between me and Odd, praying, just praying that my father wouldn't see her or sense her.** I sense a disturbance in the force, Lukie.**

Not a second later did he peek in to find us. A 'warm'** You're a mean one, Mistuh Gwinch** grin spread across his features as he talked to us like he had just won a hide and seek game.

"There you are! What was that hiding game all about anyways? Come now, you can tell your old man, can't you?"** THERE YOU ARE LUKE, WHERE BE-ITH MY CHEETOS?**

Most likely against my father's will, Nevaeh poked her head in to catch a glimpse of me. I locked my forlorn gaze with her, because I could outright tell that she was not in her normal sunny** stay on the sunny side always on the sunny side stay on the sunny side of life, you'll suffer no pain it'll drive you insane if you stay on the sunny side of life KNOCK KNOCK!** mood. **That was a camp song, yo.**

This little girl was scared out of her skeleton** skelerfish** and wits. She was even so scared that she didn't dare cry anymore. It meant something.** It meant sleep.** My father had to have done something to force her to be like this…something like…**stuffing cheese down her throat.**

All fears just got washed away in a blood** cheesy**-red ocean of **cheese **anger. Just imagining what he would've, could've done** with cheese** sent blazing shots of **burning cheese **fire screaming through the **dairy product **blood in my **bodily fluid containment unit called **veins.

What have you done to her?** What have you done with my sketchbook?**

What have you done to Nevaeh? **What have you done to my sketchbook?**

What have you done to _my_ Nevaeh?!** WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY LITTLE INNOCENT SKETCHBOOK?!**

My father stepped closer to me, looking around me in curiosity** for his cheetos**. He must've caught on that we—I—was hiding something.

"What have you got? Another hide and seek game** for my cheetos**?" He asked.** I WANT MY CHEETOS BACK, LUKE. JOIN ME AND WE SHALL SHARE THE CHEETOS. (chee-toes. Ick, toes.)**

My voice seethed out like slow moving liquid **chocolate is good **lava as I replied, dark and irate, "Damn** le gasp he swore!** right I do, only this time I'm the seeker—and I seek with _this_!" I snarled, rearing back a fist and knocking him square in the jaw. **Yowch, what a good line.** Nevaeh yelped and dodged to the side as my father stumbled back. She still couldn't get to me through the tangle** Tangla is a pokemon in need of love** of legs my father provided. I winced.

He caught himself **some fishies** before he fell completely and glared at me deeply.

"If that's the way you want to play…," **Again, where have I heard that one before? **he warned dangerously, "Then I'll play like that…,"

"Go ahead," I snarled in response, "Just try me, bastard," **oooh, burrrn!**

Aelita held back a high protest. I didn't glance back to look at her. Nothing could be done now—the challenge was made.

My father's eyes flashed with a low 'very well.' Nevaeh softly whined, only to be slapped in the face by you-know-who. **You need to be killed in the face.**

My eyes widened in a split second, and before my brain told me what I was doing, I lunged right into my father, yowling and screaming like a wolf. **Go to Jail Go Directly to Jail Do not Pass Go Do not Collect 200 hundred Dollars go straight to get kicked in the teeth and then killed in the face **We were knocked to the other side of the vending machines, and all that was going through my head was _how dare he? How dare he? Not Nevaeh, not my little Nevaeh!_

I was fairly surprised that no one immediately came to help from the courtyard even with all the screaming and ruckus being made. Nobody came at all. What was this? Some sort of sick joke?** Yes, yes it is.**

My father found the ground and pushed me back even though I was still hitting and kicking blindly **blind people are coolio **with all my might. There was a short pause, and just before I was about to **kitty **pounce back at him I realized where his gaze was directed—specifically, right behind me.

Namely, at Yumi** forty-ninth**.

"So this is what you were hiding from me…,"** LUUUKE YOU STILL NOT HAVE THE CHEETOS** He plainly stated in a voice that only I knew meant immediate **vader-**danger.

I froze, my fingers slightly shaking. Aelita tried to softly save what part of Yumi **FIFTIETH** she could, even though she probably knew it would be of no help.

"Yu-Yumi** fifty-first**…get back…," she stuttered.

"Yumi** fifty-second**, is that her name now?" **YOU GIVE ME THIS YUMI INSTEAD OF CHEETOS? **My father questioned, never taking his stare off of her. I flinched.

"You wouldn't just _happen_ to be _protecting_ her, now were you, my boy?"** OKAY, I'LL BE BACK. (one too many Arnie Schwarzenegger movies.)**

They say that silence is the best and worst answer** and that my feet stink**.

My face was slapped aside, and was knocked away, **(that made no sense and it was supposed to)** temporarily dazed. Nevaeh screamed my 'name' in high worry, stopped by my father snatching her up. Yumi** fifty-third** let out a gurgled protest before she too was snatched. I let out a strangled cry and forced myself to my feet.

Lukas, **omfg can you believe I just realized that? LUUUKE? Oh god I'm so going to be brick'd** my father, had dragged them out into the courtyard. I was about to full-blown blast out after them, before he pulled something off I could barely imagine he ever would try. **And I just suddenly realized: LUKE-ASS**

Out of his pockets came two very different items with all the same purpose **one was a cheese log and the other was a box of yummy sushi**. He took a gun to a random girl's head and pressed a knife against his own toddler daughter's throat.** scary, man.**

"You protected this one. I can't imagine why you would protect this...filth. **I can't imagine how much you ARE filth, Luke-Ass. **How...how could my own son do something like that?"

I flinched as he gave total disrespect for Yumi** FIFTY-FOURTH! Did I miss any?**. It was only a moment before he went on.

"Choose, then. One or the other. Let's see where your _real_ priorities lie."** My priorities lie with sleep. Also, they lie with not caring if you wish to slap me or not.**

* * *

_Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…_

((KERSHLAP!))


	4. Captive

_Hey guys. I know it's been a while since I updated this. It's not because of my embarrassment from the last chapter (because I'm not embarrassed, really. That's me on a regular loopy sick tired basis.) It's just that I never got around to writing these ideas down. And believe me, I have WAAAAY too many freakin' ideas for this place. Don't believe me? Go to my profile, underneath the I Will Remember You gallery, and clickie on the thing that says "Reese Wolf" and "Reese Wolf RARGH"_

_That's one out of a billion.  
_

_Anyways, _do not read this chapter until you've read chapter nineteen_, otherwise...None of it will make sense! 8D_

_(PS. It's 12:37 am! Yay! 8D)_

* * *

_I'm glad my period's over._

Yumi knew it herself that this was an unbelievably stupid and awkward first thought when she came to in a strange room, but that was her first thought.

_I'm very glad my period's over._

The last thing she remembered was ducking into the bathroom to check on how she was doing, noting that the flow now seemed to have stopped completely after about five days. She was relieved. Periods were the one thing she wished she could mercilessly kill without consequence. After she cleaned up everything that she needed, she almost sped out of the bathroom, knowing that she was late for lunch. Reese would be sitting at their table, Yumi knew. Despite all of her detestation and hatred which still bloomed strong even after that strange dream in the cave, Yumi felt a certain sort of...affectionate security when she was around him. She didn't know why—as she said, she still _hated_ his guts, and yet she was attracted to his mystery.

Knowing that lunch would not be served forever, Yumi forced her legs to move.

That is, if the public would let her move.

Every last kid was in the cafeteria at this time, so it surprised Yumi when an arm gripped her waist tightly, the other arm following through at the shoulder. She was about to utter a protest when an eerily familiar voice seethed in her ear.

"Leaving so soon, Jap?"

It sounded like Reese, but the tone and the age were very different, as well as word usage. A swell of adrenaline rushed through her veins as she realized she was in very grave danger right before a handkerchief came roughly over her mouth. She tried to scream but the grimy hand wouldn't let her. That's when a sickly, deathly sweet smell entered her nostrils, and her eyes rolled backward into her head as she fell hopelessly limp onto the concrete.

When she awoke she was in a stone storage room with two doors—one leading into a house probably, and the other either outside or into a garage.

And her first thought was _I'm glad my period's over._

It was kind of funny. She knew she had been kidnapped, but for some reason that wasn't her biggest concern at the moment. All she thought about was the fact that she wouldn't have to deal with multiple bathroom trips for another four weeks. She shook her head and almost laughed at her blatant stupidity. True, the thought is very nice that she wouldn't have to deal with a problem like that in a time like this, but still—she didn't think this was what Miriam thought of first when she was held captive in _Raiders of the Lost Ark_.

After that pitiful hilarity passed through, Yumi got serious and took a look around.

Her vision was blurry and her thoughts a little disconnected, but she systematically forced her eyes to take in everything, noting that her legs weren't quite ready to support her yet. The cold concrete room was full of nothing but old water-damaged cardboard boxes—most likely holding nothing entirely important. At least, not important on breaking out of this place.

The door to her right from where she was sitting against a wall looked sealed tight, as if it very well was a door to an outside place or room. The door to the left looked well-sealed, but not so bad as if it was to keep out foul weather. Yumi guessed this led into the main building, as three wooden steps climbed up to it. It was half-covered up by a poorly constructed shelf full of small water-damaged boxes, but she could see it well enough from where she was.

Over her head was a small window, half-heartedly boarded up with loose plywood. A few stray white streams of light gave what little it could to the room, giving it a faint blue wash. Yumi sniffed and patted all of her pockets.

Nothing.

Her swiss knife was gone along with her phone, and even a stray pencil she had picked up. She let out an exasperated sigh, knowing that this man—though obviously insane—was not a dimwit. It was a far-fetched chance that he'd leave her with anything, but she had to try.

There was a long but small card table to her immediate left that was cluttered with boxes on top and beneath it, completely full and with room for nothing more. She stared at it a while longer, having nothing else to look at, then turned away.

So she was kidnapped.

Now what?

Her vision began to clear up as some minutes passed, and she sighed again, bored. There was a small twinge inside of her that shrieked fear, but she pushed it away for the time being. She did _not_ like the feeling of being scared, and she _definitely_ did not need that at this time. But there was one thing that crossed her mind.

Loneliness.

How was she going to be able to cover up that? Talk with her kidnapper?

_Oh sure, let's settle down and have a cup of tea._

"_What kind of tea do you like, Jap?"_

"_Oh, I guess mint would be fine for now,"_

"_Perfect! I have some right here. So now, how are you settling in?"_

"_It's a little dark I suppose, but since you _have_ kidnapped me, it's perfect,"_

"_Oh, I know. I thought it'd do,"_

"_So what's in those boxes of yours?"_

"_I don't know—I haven't been through that room in ages. Anything that's in there is probably destroyed anyways, so good luck trying to break out!"_

Just as her imagination really started to break loose, a box shifted underneath the table with a short, soft cry. Yumi jumped, startled, and fixed her attention immediately onto the boxes. The area was quiet for a while, until the thing that had moved the boxes gave another whimper. In her current wild imagination state, Yumi began to crazily shift through ideas of what it could be.

_A rat! No, too small. A raccoon? How'd that get in here? A cat? ...no, that's not it, a dog? Definitely not. A snake? Too small—and hopefully not a big one if it really is! A cockroach? No! Stop! Not that! That's way too small—an army of cockroaches—_

_STOP IT._

Yumi's thoughts were getting her in the merry land of nowhere, so she hesitantly crawled forward on hands and knees, her elbows wobbling from her own weight. Tentatively she grabbed a wrinkled lip of a box and slid it out, finding that the underneath of the table wasn't quite as crowded as first inspected. It was dark though, and she couldn't see much even with her rapidly recovering vision. But whatever was in there jerked backwards, and if Yumi listened hard enough she could decipher heavy breathing from a high-pitched mouth. She finally realized what creature the source came from.

_No way...human?_

"Hey...," she called out softly, pushing another box out of the way, "Hey...,"

The person that was in there winced and started to weep softly, completely scared out of their wits. Yumi felt a pang of sympathy as she edged herself closer.

"Hey...it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay...," She reached a hand into the darkness and heard the person nearly squeal and cringe back. Relentless, Yumi only paused for a second before moving her hand forward again, eventually touching a soft cottony long-sleeved shirt and comfy denim. The person cried shortly and began to tremble, swiping out with a tiny hand.

"Hey...," Yumi continued, still softly and ignoring the hits that reached her, "It's okay...," As she scooted forward another few centimeters so she could better grasp the clothing the possible identity of the person finally came to her head.

"It's okay...I'm not gonna hurt you," Yumi gulped down saliva and hoped she was right, "Nevaeh...?"

The crying toned down and nearly stopped for a bit. Yumi took this chance.

"It's me, Yumi...I'm your brother's—...friend," She forced out. No, she and Reese weren't really friends, even after that pact they made, but she knew that Nevaeh would find the word 'friend' meaning 'good' so she used it anyways.

Nevaeh's body shifted on the cool floor as she warily crept out into a more lighted area, trying to get a better look at Yumi. As she did Yumi retreated to give her some room, sadly taking note of the toddler's state.

Nevaeh was dirty, her light pink cottony shirt smudged all over and the white denim overalls nearly black in certain places. It's what she got from hiding on the ground in the dust, but Yumi made a solemn wish that she could be as small as Nevaeh so she could hide too. Her big green eyes looked at her through messy brown locks in fear and curiosity, and Yumi couldn't help but marvel how she looked like her brother. But since the man didn't have green eyes, she speculated that Nevaeh looked more like her mother than anything—which brought Yumi to the question of where she was.

"Yuu...mee?" Nevaeh asked quietly, and Yumi nodded.

"Yes...do you remember?"

Nevaeh gave a fervent nod and stared, not quite out from underneath the table.

"Is brugger here...?" she asked, slightly hopeful. A tease of feeling tugged at Yumi's heartstrings as she realized she had to break the news to Nevaeh that the one person she cared about the most wasn't here.

"N...No, Nevaeh...he's not...," To Yumi's surprise and gratefulness the young girl did not start to immediately bawl. Instead she just looked at her with her lime green eyes, and Yumi found herself very prone to tears herself. Then, without warning, Nevaeh curled her feet under her and practically launched herself into Yumi.

Yumi caught her with a soft 'oof' and secured her arms around her so she wouldn't fall backwards. As soon as she caught her the tears began to flow, and soon Nevaeh was quietly sobbing into Yumi's stomach. Yumi gave a sympathetic moan and petted her hair back as she cried, carefully raking any snarls out. Before the Japanese girl knew it, she was rocking her slowly back and forth, her arms wrapped tightly around her in her lap. Nevaeh's strong grip tightened on her shirt as she continued to release all of the sobs she needed as Yumi began to coax her.

"Shhh...it's alright Nevaeh, I'm here with you now...I promised your brother I wouldn't let anything happen to you," Well, that was a near lie, but in her mind this applied to the pact, "I promise _you_ that I'll protect you, m'kay...?"

Nevaeh nodded into her stomach, and Yumi drew back a few russet locks. They stayed that way together, Yumi rocking back and forth and staring up at the blocked windows, focusing on the light. They were going to make it out of there, someday. They were going to get through this.

She just didn't know when.

That's when her own tears began to leak out, gracefully following the curve of her face down to her chin where they broke off and either landed on her shirt or Nevaeh's head. Nevaeh didn't seem to notice, and it took Yumi a while to realize that she was crying. When she did she drew in a shaky breath, held it, then let the tears flow down without relent.

They were kidnapped.

The fine reality of the situation hit Yumi finally. Oh, Yumi knew about the things that could happen, and she knew that this was bad, but the sheer wall of bricks hit her finally, and she trembled, bringing her face down into Nevaeh's soft hair, wetting it with a cascade of tears. It may be a horrid thing to say, but she was thankful that the little toddler was with her. Without that company Yumi didn't know what she would do and how she would cope. For that matter, she didn't know how _Nevaeh_ would cope without _her_. They needed each other. Yumi would normally prefer not to be kidnapped, but after being here for a quarter of an hour already, she realized that her presence made all the good difference to Nevaeh. She _needed_ to be here now. It was for Nevaeh's sake.

_And Reese's._

Yumi almost shook her head. Reese. He was a bastard, but a good-hearted bastard. _Somehow._ She was going to let her thoughts dwell on him for a while longer when somewhere inside of the building next to them a door slammed.

Nevaeh gasped, whipped her head around, and at the faint sound of clomping feet wordlessly dove away from Yumi, pushing the boxes back so they concealed her once again. Yumi got the message all too clearly and scooted away from her hiding place, trying to seat herself back where she had woken up. Her heart began to pound uncontrollably as the clomping got closer, and she heard Nevaeh shushing herself right before the doorknob clicked.

There seemed to be a turn of the key, then the knob wriggled and turned. The door pushed inward, and in stepped Reese's father, Lukas. He still hadn't taken off his outdoor jacket, but it's not like he seemed to mind. Stepping down the stairs, he stopping and smiled at Yumi, making her shiver from that insane, knowing little grin. A hand of his was in his pocket, and he moved it, making Yumi flinch and cower back a bit.

_A gun? No, he wouldn't, not this early in the kidnapping. A knife, to threaten? For what? Information? What would he want to know from me?_

His hand flicked out and Yumi caught a gasp in her throat as she flinched again. His grin widened in amusement, and Yumi peeked at the hand, realizing that he held nothing else but a cell phone in it.

_Her_ cell phone, to be exact.

She was going to ask what he was going to do, but the words got caught in her neck as fear took over, freezing her tongue and everything else. Besides, she didn't _really_ want to hold up a conversation with him, no matter how wild her imagination got.

Lukas said nothing, just turned the phone on and dialed a number by memory, putting it to his ear. He waited a few moments, then spoke.

"I knew you would pick up,"

Yumi could hear tidbits from the other line, but mostly mumbo jumbo with a few identifiable words here and there. From the voice, situation, and tone, she guessed it was Reese.

"You...you want?"

"Just a token of grati—,"

Lukas was instantly cut off by Reese.

"asked...called...for," Yumi cringed. He sounded _really_ angry.

"I just want to tell you—," He was once again cut off, and for a moment Yumi feared he would flare up, but Lukas held his composure, confident somehow that he could overcome this obstacle. A sting of fear told her of things that he could use that she didn't want to know about.

"answered...goddamned question...,"

Ah yeah. He was irked.

"Look, son—,"

"...question...tell..._where Nevaeh is!!_" Yumi began to wonder where exactly he was for no reason at all—partially because it took her mind off of the meaning behind the conversation. He finally shut up to allow Lukas one sentence or so.

"You'll listen to me soon enough—I have the force to do so," Yumi hid a wince as he walked over to her, taking the phone from his ear. She was about to question what she could say, but decided against it and said nothing. While the phone was being handed over Reese became very clear as he began to curse on the line.

"Listen, you goddamned son of a bitch I want my little sister back and if I don't speak with her I swear I'm gonna—,"

Yumi gulped down some dry air, and put the phone to her ear and quietly murmured a type of hello, shocked that her own voice was shaky and frightened.

"R-Reese...?"

If she was shocked at her own voice, it was nothing compared to the surprise she felt when Reese answered her. His voice had broken down to tiny levels of sound and thunder, barely squeaking past the speakers with such horrified emotion that Yumi nearly dropped the phone right there. For a moment she had to question if it _was_ him or not. It was quickly swept by, but still the way he said her name was chilling enough to haunt her for years to come.

"Yumi...,"

"Hey...," she said, trying to hold back a sniff of tears yet trying to sound casual. It came out wobbly. She mentally slapped herself.

"Are you alright?" He hoarsely whispered, totally failing at hiding his pain, "Is Nevaeh there? Is she...is she alright too? Yu-Yumi...,"

"Yes...," Yumi said, "Y-Yes...we're both fine...," _And by 'fine' I mean bawling and by 'both' I mean that I'm worse off than your toddler sister and by 'yes' I mean 'no.'_

Reese let out a half-relieved, half-pained sigh. "God no...," he quietly cursed, so much that Yumi could barely hear him over the background noise, "Oh _God_ no,"

"Reese...," Yumi said again, for reasons unknown. Before either of them could respond, Lukas took the phone away from Yumi's ear and put himself back on. Reese didn't say another word throughout the rest of the conversation.

"I think we've reached a point of agreement, don't you think? So far, no...accidents have happened, but keep going with that attitude, and their might be. I won't want to hear any more of this whining, because you very well know what I have here...,"

Yumi wasn't prepared. It's probably what Lukas wanted anyways. He quickly switched the phone to speaker then not to daintily snatched Yumi's neck, squeezing it ever so threateningly. Yumi gave a sharp, loud gasp and her breathing rate instantly escalated to near-hyperventilation. Just with those sound effects Reese gave a helpless and pitiful mutilated cry—not knowing what was going on but suspecting that it was bad. Real bad. Lukas gave a tug at her neck and involuntarily Yumi began to near beg into the phone, still calling out his name even though she knew it meant nothing.

"Reese...! Reese...!!"

Lukas gave a pinch that forced Yumi to bend way over, twisting under his control.

"Ahhh...Ahhhhhhh!" Spit bubbled in her mouth and she spat through gritted teeth to help control it. It was a little too painful and uncomfortable—and, according to the noise, it was even more so for Reese.

"Nuh...Nyahhhuuhh...," He groaned, and Yumi imagined him twisting in mental pain. He probably was.

Still violently holding her neck, Lukas closed up the connection with a few final statements.

"I think you understand. Don't try to call back—this number won't exist two minutes from now. I _will_ contact you again. Just be wary of that. If anyone else finds out, their _both_ dead,"

He cut the connection and shut the phone off. Yumi endured through the current pain and waited for him to release her. He didn't. Instead, he made sure Yumi wouldn't try anything for a limited while.

Keeping his power over her, he lowered his nose into her hair, letting the hand on her neck graze about while still imprisoning her. Horrified shudders and goosebumps flickered on Yumi's skin, and she sucked in a gasp, sickened and feeling quite violated even though nothing but her neck and collarbone was touched. _Caressed_, even. He took a deep inhale before taking his face away, leaving his hand still on her delicate neck.

"You're a fair one for a Jap...," he commented, making Yumi shiver, "It'd be a pity if I had to do anything with that neck of yours,"

Yumi froze. Even as he finally released her she didn't straighten up. She still felt his hand wandering about her neck, and it scared and violated her. The last thing he did was get up, walk to the door, drop her phone and crush it underneath his shoe, pick up the remnants, then slam the door shut. Boot clomps suggested movement, then another door slammed shut and he was gone.

Yumi's next move was to fall onto the concrete, shivering uncontrollably.

"Ohhh...," she moaned, "Ooooohhhh...,"

She was kidnapped.

She was with a hated person's toddler sister.

Her kidnapper was a gruesomely insane man.

And she was still in very grave danger.

"Ulriiiiiich...," she softly cried into the cold room as Nevaeh crept out to huddle next to her for the rest of the uneventful day.

* * *

_I'm...not even tired. oo I think I'll sleep during the day. YEAH. That sounds great._

_In case you're wondering, yes I typed this all day today. And oh, by the way, there should be more to come of this...I don't know how much more, but still more to come of Yumi and Nevaeh's little doo-hickey adventures under Lukas's eye. Yeah. Lah-dee-fricken'-dah._


	5. FanWork Reese's Scars

Hey.

This'n here is listed as a fanwork because that's exactly what it is: Work of a fan. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it on here, but if you do write...um, fanfiction for this fanfiction (lolwhut) and if i deem it to be honorable enough (not crossing the line, etc.) I offer you a slot on this here story. Now that that's out, about the author of this story...thing.

HopelessIdiot, as she is known on deviantART, or HopelessIdiot, as she is known on , had a writing assignment in which they had to describe a character within a paragraph or so. Strangely enough she chose Reese. I asked her why or something, and she replied:

"Because he's so easy to abuse!"

And I agree.

* * *

The morning's vivid rays of sunlight began to shimmer through the shadows that lined the silhouetted evergreen woods, as subtle as the slender wisps of clouds that strolled peacefully across the pastel gradients of the sky, snapping Reese Anders out of his vacant trance with a jolt. A new day's breeze danced through the trimmed locks of playfully, tickling the sensitive skin around the scar that crossed his cheek like a brand, unnoticed to his annoyance. He rolled up the dark sleeves of his jacket slowly, gloved fingers tracing the wounds that lined his thin arms as they ed over the most recent addition. Feeling the dent in his flesh, Reese gasped with a twinge, brows hardening as his eyes dulled with vacant life. He pushed his weight to his stronger hand as he sat back, eyes falling to the failing moon with a feeling of sympathetic understanding. The teen fought a scowl as he sucked in air with a muted rasp of breath, face portraying a medley of negative emotions he wished he could shield from any who could find him in the empty forest clearing. It was only with strained effort that he finally lifted himself onto his pathetic legs, disregarding each stab of misery that impaled his memories like a dull blade. He forced a weak smile, eyes deceiving the simple gesture. He was usually proud of his ability to hide his pain, anger pulsing through him as his body refused to listen to his staged feelings.

After all, he was Reese Anders. He could live through any abuse his worthless father threw at him. Though, his mind wandered, why was his true nemesis was not the man who transformed his life into such a hell, but his own reflection?

* * *

Hey.

Give my regards to Mr. Bigglesworth. Comment here, know that whatever you say, Hope will see.

Hope will see.


	6. FanWork: I Will Never Forget

This is a second FanWork that I didn't have the method to upload until eight in the morning the next day. (Sorry, Quin)

These stories are used with permission, just FYI.

The lines that are italic AND have quotation marks are lines directly copied n' pasted from Chapters 14 and 15 from my actual story. (Stealer!) Nah, I jest. Anyways, this is just a few scenes from those chapters written in Yumi's point of view. This beloved (omgwtf?) writing piece is written by QuinSeparable (on deviantART) who is also QuinSeparable (who'd have guessed) on here.

Not. Me.

Enjoy!

* * *

"_So this is what you were hiding from me…"_

A madman had entered Kadic: one that both petrified Reese and threw him into a blind rage. I could see the boy's fingers begin to shake and his mouth was merely one thin, tight line. He stood rigid as that madman stared at me. His eyes held a sadistic gleam within them that made me want to back into the shadows and run as fast, and as far, as I could possibly go.

But for some God-forsaken reason, I couldn't move. It took every ounce of strength to even breath. I was always able to read people and this crazed man was no exception. He was evil, I could see it, and he was formulating something in his mind. A plan perhaps. Those two words, evil and plan, always meant heartache and disaster. I shuddered at the thought.

"_Yu-Yumi…get back…"_

Aelita stammered at me, her face reflecting every ounce of fear she felt. She never stuttered when she spoke; Aelita always was clear in her speech. I knew at that moment she knew something that the rest of us had no idea about, save maybe for Reese. If my muscles were frozen before, they had now turned to stone. Especially since the madman's eyes never left my own. It probably didn't help my case much that I stared back, but my chocolate orbs were held hostage in his.

"_Yumi, is that her name now? You wouldn't just happen to be protecting her, now were you my boy?"_

I shuddered once more - the only thing my stone muscles would allow me to do. At that moment I knew. I knew he hated me. He hated me and everything I stood for. He hated me because I was Japanese. I could see something in those soulless eyes of his when he first turned them to me. Now I knew exactly what it was.

Reese said nothing in his own defense. He remained still but his eyes bore into the man. So the three of us continued to just stare. For a second none of us moved.

And then everything exploded. I watched in shock as the man struck Reese hard; hard enough to knock him to the ground. He laid there as if unable to move. Nevaeh screamed but it was almost as if I were watching the spectacle from inside a fog. I saw Reese's father rushing toward me. It seemed slow and dreamlike. Maybe that's why I didn't move…I felt as if I were in a movie theater, watching the events unfolding onscreen. I was part of the movie yet not in it. Reese continued to lay in a daze. Nevaeh was suddenly grabbed, silencing her.

Then suddenly he stood right above me, our eyes having never left one another's. For the first time in my life I felt small and helpless. Even XANA in all his scheming had never made me feel the way this eccentric man made me feel. I hated it, but there was nothing I could do. I could have ran - I probably should have - but my legs would not let me.

And, just like that, I was quickly brought back out of the haze, back into reality. A strong hand gripped my upper arm, threatening to crush it in its grasp. He pulled me to my feet and I tried to yell out in protest only to find my tongue still numb inside my mouth. Only a gurgle was emitted from within. This time our unbreakable gaze finally broke. I could feel my muscles once again; this time they went from stone right straight to jell-o. I felt myself moving out in the open; those damn noodles offered no help in keeping me upright and I found myself dragged there instead.

Not far in front of us I saw Reese rise to his feet. _Please get up!_  
The madman snickered above me. My mouth went dry. Reese lunged after us but from seeming out of nowhere I saw something that made my blood run cold. Reese must have saw it at the same time as well because he stopped completely, dead in his tracks.

The next thing that I knew, I felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against my temple. My mind froze. I had no idea what to do.

"_You protected this one. I can't imagine why you would protect this…filth. How…how could my own son do something like that?"_

Despite the situation I felt my blood boil. It wasn't for the reasons one may think. Though his prejudice was enough, it wasn't the reason. At least not the only one. I had inadvertently glanced over at his other hostage. A knife had been pushed against her throat. Nevaeh said nothing nor did she make a sound. Despite being so young, she knew the imminent danger the two of us were in. How could this man do this to this to a child…_his_ child none-the-less!? Oh God! Just let her go.

"_Choose then. One or another. Let's see where your real priorities lie."_

And just like that, any strength that I had left was gone. I fell. I fell hard. The madman that claimed to be Reese's father glared at me with all intent to kill. This time, I averted his eyes. I didn't want them to be captive once again.

Instead I half-closed them enough to try to block out the ever-present gun pressed tightly to my head. Yet at the same time, I kept them open enough to also see the dilemma Reese was facing. His choice: his sister or me. It should have been an obvious choice. So then, why was he taking so long to make it?

He couldn't possibly hate me so much that he would allow me to suffer like this did he? Of course not. He wanted to save us both. He didn't want to see either of us die in front of him.

But I knew - and I knew he knew it too - if he didn't do something soon, we'd both be dead. All he did though was stand there. Regaining only a portion of my strength I was able to shuffle around, gaining Reese's attention. It seemed as though, at that moment, he snapped back to attention. He raised his hand at me, an obvious signal to stop and wait. And so I did. I waited as he circled us. I waited as he started at us.

"_Tick tock." _his father warned.

Again I waited until I could wait no longer. Why the hell was this so hard for him!?

I heard a sudden outburst. Someone near me began shouting in Japanese.

"_What the hell are you doing? What are you waiting for?! She's your sister, dammit! She's only two and a half! God almighty, it shouldn't be that hard of a decision, should it?!"_

Then for no reason at all the madman moved that damn gun from my head to my throat. It was then and only then that I realized _I_ was the one that had spoken. Though Reese understood a little, I also knew that he knew enough of my native language to know exactly what I had spat out at him. The gun twisted in place on my neck. I desperately fought back any sort of sound that could possibly give the maniac any sort of satisfaction. I didn't want any of them to know just how frightened I was. My grim determination, however, didn't stop a wince from spreading across my face. The gun pressed further into my neck. I tried to pull myself away from the horrid weapon but was unable.

"_Why is it…so hard…?"_

This time I knew it was me that spoke. My anger was replaced by exhaustion. I pleaded with him. I pleaded for Nevaeh. And, in some twisted way, I pleaded for myself.

"Quiet Jap," the man whispered in threatening tone. "Or I'll end your pathetic existence right here, right now. I don't want to hear that filth any more."

I knew he would carry out on his nearly silent threat. Reese hadn't heard what he had said to me, I knew it. I said no more. Thousands of words came to mind; hundreds of actions I could take but the only thing my body was physically able to do was allow one tiny whimper passed my tightly sealed lips. At that moment I realized that I was going to die.

I found myself closing my eyes, waiting for the slight movement of his finger. I waited for a maniacal laugh or statement. I waited to hear the sound of the weapon discharging its contents into my soft throat. I waited for the explosion of pain.

In the meantime, through all this waiting, I hoped - I prayed - for this nightmare to end; to wake up with a start only to find myself at home, in my bed. Oh God, please!

I could no longer contain my brave front. At this point I couldn't hold back the tears that wanted to fall. The levee overflowed slightly and I felt the salty droplets slide down my face. Mom. Dad. Hiroki…

Jeremie. Odd. Aelita. Ulrich…

_Ulrich…_

God what I wouldn't give to see his face once more. What I wouldn't give to feel his arms around me, holding me, telling me that it everything would be alright. _Ulrich! Why did you have to go!?_

I remembered hearing stories about people feeling the presence of deceased love ones reappearing in their darkest hours, comforting them in their invisible embrace. Upon learning of Ulrich's death, I knew that should something ever happen he would come back to me and let me know that he was with me.

My head fell. So why wasn't he here now? Damn you Ulrich, why aren't you here now!?

Stories. That's all they ever were…

"_I…I…"_

Reese stuttered. If he said more I couldn't hear him. I forced memories to leap into my mind. Memories of my family, of my friends, of Lyoko, and most of all, of the friend I had lost all that time ago.

"_I can't…"_

Those two words…I hated them. I hated them with a fiery passion I haven't had in a long while. "_I can't."_ You can! Your sister, you dumbass! Your sister! Its not that I wanted to die. On the contrary! But I couldn't live with myself knowing an innocent toddler died in my place.  
"_Can't…can't…"_

The maniac snorted though I wasn't sure if it were in amusement or disgust. My head was being ripped to shreds between the present and the past. The future hung back as if not sure of it's own existence, as I was unsure.  
"_I should've figured. You can't do anything anyways. Just look at yourself. Protecting a Jap like this,"_

I winced but I did not open my eyes. The thin sequence of tears that had fallen deepened a bit. I've always hated that word, though no surprise to anyone. Jap. If it wasn't enough to torture me with my life, why did he have to throw around that word in there as well!? The atrocity that called himself a man kept tormenting Reese, saying things that I wasn't sure I understood but I didn't care to. He moaned, softly at first, but with each word his father said they became more intense. The poor boy! What a thing to have to go through! I wondered at that moment just what kind of hell he had been through and what he had seen with those jade eyes of his.

But an instant later I knew I never wanted to know.

"_And look at what you can't do now. You can't even choose between your sister and a Jap. Maybe it was too much to ask to show up late for conferences. Well son? Don't you agree, you've failed?"_

He struggled. _No no no! He's psyching you out Reese! Don't give in! You know you haven't failed. You can't let him do this to you…not if Nevaeh is to be saved!_

I could see his struggles. He was breaking down, loosing any mental sanity he had left. His wretched father just stood there, watching. I slowly opened my eyes, glancing upward at him and felt the bile rising up in my throat.

The bastard was _smiling_!

At that moment Reese had fallen on his knees and let out a scream that could have woken the dead. It entered my ears and cut through my brain as if making sure that I, provided I lived longer than I thought I would, would never forget it. A shudder ran down my spine. That scream was vaguely familiar…

Silence.

The absence of noise was the loudest thing I had heard in a long time. Nothing stirred. Even the wind had hushed. That's when I realized how alone the four of us truly were. There was nobody.

_Jeremie? Odd? Aelita? Oh God! Please! Please let them be heading over to the Factory now!_

Seconds later, images of my bloodied corpse flooded my mind, twisted and mangled for all those to see. Oh God…I was going to die here without anyone who truly loved or knew me around. Despite the three others, I realized that I would die alone. It would take a miracle for my friends to get over to that factory. They'd never make it and I would die here. Alone. But there was something in my heart that told me otherwise. I didn't understand it. I didn't think I ever would.

Without warning the madman holding Nevaeh and I let out an enraged yell causing me to jump.

"_Gah! You little twit!"_

I realized just what had transpired as the madman tried to shake his hand loose from his daughter's teeth. _Way to go!_

"_Run Neveah! Ruuun!"_ I shouted hearing Reese's voice mix in with my own. The tiny girl stumbled away as fast as her little legs could carry her before turning toward her brother. He pointed frantically toward where the vending machines sat. With a tiny sob she got there as quickly as possible.

My turn.

Now I have always known full well how dangerous those thick boots of mine could be when put to a good use. They were heavy suckers which in turn strengthened my legs. So, naturally, when I stomped on a certain man's feet using ever force of strength I could muster from my adrenaline-charged body, he was too stunned to react when I pulled that damn gun from my neck. Then I pushed and pushed until I managed to get away from those arms that held me prisoner for all that time (whether it was minutes or hours I have no idea. For me at least it felt as though it were an eternity!) Too bad for me that my body decided at that moment to remind me that it was still exhausted. I felt myself stumble forward. _I. Won't. Fall._

Then I saw it. The other weapon. It was within my hand's reach. However, as I reached for the weapon, I saw a foot plant itself firmly on it instead. Damn! I tripped over myself a little more before I was able to collect myself and prepared to run. Run only God knows where. Away from here. To safety. To Nevaeh?

"_Yu-Yumi! Yumi!"_

Reese's distressed call echoed over the empty courtyard. I half-turned to see the madman there, swinging the knife wildly. It took all my willpower not to panic, but I was able to contain myself long enough to dodge the blade that was aimed to kill. Unfortunately it left another spot open entirely.

Everything slowed as I saw the new path the blade was taking. Straight down…down, down, down. A scream reverberated across campus; one that had come from within myself. As it died down time sped back up.

Pain exploded from my side near the stomach region. Blinding pain, so bad it completely blocked out my vision. Oh God, it hurt! I felt blood spurt forth and a strangled sob flew from my mouth. I staggered trying desperately to keep on my feet. But this hurt was pure hell. I knew I couldn't do this much longer.

"_Where did you think you were going? Running away just like a good old Jap, huh?"_

But I refused to hear his words. I ducked down though not completely by my own will. He was standing over me by my uninjured side. Perfect. Despite the agony I was in I found myself able to block enough of it out long enough to sweep the madman's legs out from under him. He fell to the ground with a loud _oof_! but I wasn't about to let him have the chance to get back to his feet. With my injury, I'd never be able to get away quick enough before he decided to use the gun.

My side burned now, but I wasn't done. Using the same force I did on his foot, I used my own to disable him in the best way I knew how; I went for the groin. As he laid on the ground writhing for what I hoped would be for a long time, I sprinted away though perhaps "sprinting" would not be the most accurate term. But nonetheless, I high-tailed it out of there.

Each step brought about a new burst of hell accompanied by a wince and a gasp of pain. By the time I neared Reese I thought I'd collapse. By some miracle I remained on my feet but, for how much longer?

"_Yumi…! Yumi, Yumi! Are you okay? Yumi…!"_

My knees buckled in my last steps. I saw his arm shoot out to catch my shoulders, doing everything humanly possible to keep both hands away from my wound.

"_I'm fine. I'm fine…I'm fine…"_

Though any idiot could see just how untrue that was. I was far from it both mentally and physically. A new fear of mine was brought to light as I heard from a distance a gun discharge. I couldn't dodge it but, thank God, the madman's aim had been extremely poor and had missed on its own.

But it was enough to evoke what could be best described as panic attack. My vision clouded once again as my breath came in short rasps. I felt as though I were going to choke, though the bile that rose back up into my throat did not help matters any. I coughed trying to clear the invisible blockage in my esophagus only to pull up another sob. Fighting both it and the bile back down I finally found myself able to talk once again.

"_Oh God, Oh God…I almost died, I almost…died…,"_

Reese said nothing. What could he say? I tried to keep myself from breaking out into full hysteria as the madman was still around and still able to make good on his threat. The panic began another round, this time threatening to be worse than before. Reese must have sensed it.

"_Do something for me…Please, I…Please, take Nevaeh away from here. Please,"_

At his suggestion I forgot my panic. I straightened a fraction and tried to understand what he was saying. After staring at him it finally hit me. _Nevaeh_! Of course! In my panic I had forgotten all about the toddler that was probably near hysteria (if not already there) herself. I nodded. Almost immediately I saw a sort of relief wash over him. I continued to stare at him.

At that moment I heard something behind me. Reese must have seen it at that same instant for he shouted at me to get down before pushing me in the direction. I felt a new round of pain slice through my body from the force of the impact, threatening to throw me into the sea of unconsciousness but I fought hard against it. I turned to see Reese stand up in front of me.

Then that God-awful noise echoed once more across the courtyard. I screamed. And then I screamed again. And again. For a moment I couldn't stop. The haze danced around me once again as I suddenly found myself on my feet but staggering. A bullet had torn right through Reese. Blood oozed from the wound and the boy coughed. Oh God! What do we do now?! And then one voice brought me back to my senses.

"_Bruggerrrr?!"_

Oh God, Nevaeh! Reese crumpled in front of me, coughing and sputtering. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"_Oh God, Reese? Reese?!"_

He waved me away.

"_Nevaeh…ungh, get Nevaeh, go! Go!"_

A violent cough racked my own body. As it subsided, I glanced forlornly at the crumpled, bloody mess in front of myself.

"Bruggerr!?" Nevaeh's shrill, confused voice called out once again. She began running to her hurt brother and I knew at that moment I had to intercept her. I had to keep her away from her father. I had to. For her sake…and for Reese's.

Before she got much farther I was there, wrapping my arms around the tiny child, using my body as a shield. A shield from the world, from her father, from the horror that had happened and possibly would happen again.

"Bruggerr?!" she cried repeatedly, straining in my grasp to get to him. Every flail of her arms only aggravated my own wound more. Gritting my teeth I tried to push past the pain.

"Shh." I tried to console her. "Calm down. Please calm down. He'll be alright you'll see. Just keep still."

But of course she didn't hear my whispered pleas. All she wanted was to see her brother. Yet I couldn't allow her. She had already seen so much, how could I let her witness more?

"_That was a nice show you put on there…but all for nothing?"_

I turned somehow knowing what was going on. Though careful to continue shielding the toddler entrusted in my care, I turned enough to see what was happening. Reese was there, standing directly in front of the madman.

What the hell was he doing!?

"_Reese, what are you doing?"_ I shouted at him instead. That panic once again reared its ugly head only to be doubled when the madman's eyes leveled with mine once again. I felt my own widen in response knowing full well what he saw: the Jap holding onto his flesh and blood, keeping her from him.

I tried to get to my feet but the exhaustion they felt finally refused to allow the use of them. That or perhaps it was from the lose of blood. Whatever the case, I realized that if something didn't happen in the next second, I would truly be dead with the possibility of Nevaeh falling next to me.

Out of nowhere Reese stepped in between us, shielding us from the impending doom. The madman didn't seem to see him for he raised the gun anyway despite the fact that his son stood in the path.

"_No!"_ I shouted but my voice fell on deaf ears. The maniac began to squeeze the trigger. That's when I saw it. From behind the familiar white light of relief came forward, blinding us all.

When it engulfed us I let out a silent "Thank you" to Jeremie, Odd, and Aelita. Thank God they had been around when the madman attacked. If not, the outcome would have been horrendous.

I smiled despite it all. I would wake up with a start in my bed after all.

* * *

There you go.

There may be (Read that, noobs: MAY. BE.) another one of these, though most likely not unless it'll be weeks from now. Good ol' college will hit you like that.

As for MY writing, I think another installment of "Captive" is coming up soon, perhaps later today.

Toodlepips, maggots!


	7. Captive pt2

_I'm sorry but after those posts that I put up…BY GOD I HAD TO WORK WITH YUMI._

_OTHERWISE I WOULD'VE SUPERNOVA'D IN MY HEAD AND…THERE WOULD BE NO MORE MOUNTAIN DEW. EVER. ON EARTH._

_SEE HOW I SUFFER._

…

_Oh wait, before I begin…What is Love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more…(bobs head)_

* * *

**Captive pt. 2**

_Hallucinations_

Yumi coughed. Was it just her or was the storage garage especially hot today? Or maybe it was just excessively humid. Nevaeh shifted her position and huddled closer to Yumi's torso, her head securely nuzzled in her bosom.

"I'm cold…," she complained, burying herself farther into the Japanese girl.

Ah. It was her.

She wiped the sweat off of her heated forehead and looked down, sympathetic.

"Here, take my jacket…," she offered gratefully, taking the heavy sweaty thing off. A thought crossed her mind that she's experiencing a fever and may pass it off to Nevaeh, but she forced herself to give the poor girl the jacket anyways. Nevaeh took it with a thankful murmur, waiting until Yumi fully wrapped her in it before settling back down.

Yumi sighed and laid her head back. The maniac hadn't been in the house for…ten hours now. A night. It was only an hour or so after dawn. Nevaeh slept well for her state—the nightmares weren't as violent as Yumi had seen them before hand. By default she raised a hand and petted the toddler's hair back from her face, stroking it gently with her nails.

_What day is it?_ She asked herself, _I was kidnapped on Thursday…Thursday at noon…Saturday. This is Saturday morning._ _I've been captive for nearly two days. Jesus…_

Normally Yumi didn't swear. It would often take a horrible situation that involved either bad injuries or death or severe provoking to get Yumi to swear. (Reese always seemed to be a professional provoker, Yumi mused grimly.) In this case, Yumi categorized it with the injury/death thing, adding a new tag: National News Headliner.

Well. She'd come up with something more creative when she was feeling better.

She wiped her forehead again, confirming from the coat of sweat that she indeed had a fever. The dizziness and dull ache came to her at last, and she all but groaned.

_Perfect time to get sick, Yumi…_

Then again, it was probably the contents of this room that made her feel like this—what with the water damaged boxes and whatnot.

"Here, Nevaeh, let me lay down, okay?" She said, knowing that the concrete would be cool and refreshing on her temples.

After the short rendition Yumi felt the all-too-godly coolness strike her head, and she immediately felt refreshed. Nevaeh curled up like a cat in her stomach and tried to whimper herself into more sleep. Yumi coaxed her into it, knowing that it would only help the girl until her father returned.

As she fell into slumber Yumi began to ponder that statement. This madman was Nevaeh's father—and he was doing this to his own _daughter_, and, technically, his son too. What sort of sicko could and would do that? To someone of ethnic difference that didn't appeal to them, yeah, Yumi could kind of understand that in a twisted way, but to your own family members—especially your children?! That's just plain out insane!

But then, it shouldn't take an Einstein equivalent to figure out that this man was waaaay beyond sane lines.

She forced the fever's ache and discomfort into the near distance as she tried to concentrate on her thoughts.

The man that called himself Nevaeh and Reese's father had been gone for a night, and for how long more he'll stay out Yumi had no idea. She shivered at the thought of what he would do when he came back. It's not like he comes here every time he's in the house, but still…the power and fear he held over them would do just enough to be within ten meters of them. She held back a moan.

Reese had taken on some of his father's traits in ways. First off, he had a similar voice—a deep dark tone that had easy ability to send shivers up Yumi's spine if she wasn't prepared to hear it. He had probably taken on his father's size and composure, as well as he was fairly built. Reese was definitely more built than his father, but that didn't mean that his father didn't obviously have some meat of his own.

The boy was also a tad on the violent side. Was he? Just a little bit, she guessed. Then again, with the obvious relationship he has with his father, he should be able to be forgiven for his violence. Some of it anyways. If Yumi thought hard enough, she could still conjure the hard sting of the slap he gave her that night last fall.

_Whoa_. She stopped herself. _Was it that long ago…already?_

Yumi felt the pressure of time smack her hard in the chest and she nearly gasped. That felt like yesterday and yet so long ago at the exact same time. Some sort of crazed paradox—she didn't like that.

And between fall and spring there was winter, right? Yumi had only paid attention to him once in the winter—and what she found out nearly turned her on her head and switched her view on the silent two-faced boy she thought she knew.

She stroked back Nevaeh's hair again as she dwelled upon the scene in front of that house of him playing with all the toddlers whole-heartedly—diving into their world of fun and games like it was a heavenly escape for him. Hey, for all she knew it probably _was_. She sighed and tried to relax her exhausted but tense limbs. This was all too much for her. These thoughts were driving her insane. She _hated_ Reese—hated him to the very pit of her heart. Yet here she was thinking about the turnabout factors that put him on a good face. Ugh. Yumi knew deep down that his heart only glowed for a select few people—and that she was not one of them.

Well, that's just perfectly fine, she figured. Her heart didn't glow for him either.

_But would it if his glowed for her?_

Most definitely not!

_Are you absolutely sure?_

Positive!

_Then who does her heart glow for?_

Yumi squirmed. First of all, her thoughts were so scrambled and deteriorated that she couldn't even _think_ right. Second of all, that last question that…she asked herself—that should be a no-brainer right?

Her heart glows for Ulrich!

She winced.

Glowed…for Ulrich.

The troubled Japanese girl squirmed again, thousands of regretful thoughts screaming in her head.

_Damn you! Damn you Ulrich!! If those…stories really are true, why weren't you there? Why weren't you beside me when I felt that I was going to die?! Why weren't you there comforting me, telling me it was going to be alright! Why aren't you _here?!_ Can't you see I need you? Can't you see that I've loved you?! Why didn't you stay? Weren't we enough for you? Wasn't I enough for you?! Or were you too good for us, huh? Why did you have to go?! I loved you!_

_Loved…_

_Damn…Damnit, Yumi…_

_Your heart didn't glow bright enough._

Yumi moaned, almost rolled, then opened her eyes to a slit. In front of her kneeled a boy dressed in green cargos and—well, nearly everything else was green too.

"You…," Yumi moaned—though whether she was dreaming or if this was real life she didn't know, "You left me,"

Ulrich—or, the spirit or hallucination of him—didn't speak. He just stared at her with premature green eyes—stared at her in such a way that a predator stares at its next meal. Yumi felt her intestines rearrange as she fought to speak.

"I don't need you anymore—go away. Go away,"

Ulrich stood up and merely walked closer to her.

"Go away! I said go away! You can't save me! You can't save me anymore!"

As she watched, the green pants molded to a darker, bluer color and the outside shirt turned into a dark gray jacket. Yumi's moans excelled into muffled and weak screams of anger as she uselessly clawed at the illusion.

She felt her hair being tugged up by the ends and a face all too familiar to her leaned down, broken by an ugly knitted X scar on the left cheek. The lethal green eyes put evil in his smile as he wickedly whispered to her something she was bound to never forget.

"It's playtime,"

Yumi jolted awake when Reese cupped his hand around her throat, panting heavily. There was deadweight on her chest, only encouraging her to panic harder.

That is, until she found out Nevaeh was seated on top of her, her puny little hands pressing down at the base of her neck. She relaxed somewhat, asking the question with her eyes. Nevaeh replied immediately, her own jade eyes watery on their own.

"You was having a nightmare…," she whispered, as if it was a deadly secret that shouldn't be heard, "an' you were scarin' me…,"

Yumi stared at the child for a minute before forcing herself to smile. She picked her up off of her and sat up, noting the dull ache in her head that was still present. Stifling a depressed groan, she thanked Nevaeh quietly.

"You were right, I _was_ having a nightmare—thanks for waking me," In her mind, Yumi dully noted that it was Nevaeh that made the nightmare seem so realistic when it came to her neck, but she wasn't about to tell that to the poor toddler.

Nevaeh blinked her big eyes at her and, Yumi's jacket still wrapped around her, snuggled into her lap, only wanting comfort that Yumi couldn't give. Yumi felt a pang of regret, feeling like a traitor because she wasn't the one that would bring Nevaeh the feeling of complete safety.

This was one of the only people in the world that Reese would glow for—and the little girl knew it.

Trying to tame the wild heat of her forehead, Yumi distracted herself with petting Nevaeh's hair—again. She didn't know how long she had slept, or how long she sat there trying to rid herself of the fever, but she did know what time it was when a door boomed closed elsewhere in the house.

It was Terror Time.

Nevaeh let out an inhuman little squeak and scrambled from Yumi back underneath the table that protected her so. Yumi found herself being stupidly jealous of nothing more than a toddler girl because of her ability to hide so well. She tried to toughen herself up as yet another game of Hide and Seek began with the maniac.

He stalked in like he usually did. Calm, confident, and powerful. Sickeningly powerful. A cell phone was in his hand—presumably his own. Yumi blinked. They haven't contacted Reese since the strange day where he dropped that phone in front of her with Reese's number. Her insides twisted at how her imagination pictured Reese in the state he would be in after a day or so of not hearing from them. It was to be expected from a kidnapping, of course, but still…

The man dialed Reese's number and put the phone to his ear—approaching Yumi as he went.

"Close call. I almost was about to revert to plan B…though I'm quite sure you wouldn't like the outcome of that…," he said after a long while. Yumi shuddered and hugged her knees close to her, praying that her burning fever would calm down so she could concentrate. She couldn't hear Reese on the other line. Not yet.

"I think it's time we've settled our…differences, don't you? I'll hand you the choice again—between your darling sister and the Jap. Think of it as generosity from me; I wouldn't be doing this normally. Tomorrow at the same time it is right now I want to see you on top of the old abandoned factory near your school. You heard me. On the roof. Not a second early, not a second late. I'll be there with the two prizes. Come early and witness their death—come late and see the aftermath. I have the gun—and you should know it wasn't easy looking for it after you threw it in the damn woods,"

Reese had the opportunity to say a few words, though Yumi couldn't hear what he did say. Then again, Yumi didn't _want_ to hear what he said.

"You'll see. Tomorrow. Factory roof. On the dot,"

Lukas took the phone from his ear to press the hang up button but paused as Reese suddenly went loud and ballistic. He must've found it…amusing somehow. Yumi winced.

"_Wait!_" Reese protested, "_Wait! Let me speak with them! Let me speak with Yumi! Please! I just want to talk_—,"

Click.

Yumi's eyes went wide as she heard the truthfulness in Reese's voice. Was he really so desperate that he wanted to speak with a sworn enemy that he merely had a weak pact with? Or was it something else…?

She lowered her face between her knees. No. He saw her as a contact to Nevaeh. That was it. That was all she'd ever be to him.

Pain that definitely didn't come from her sickness exploded on the top of her head as her hair was violently tugged so her face bent backwards so far that all of her smooth, soft neck was exposed. She gasped in surprise, her reddened eyes wildly darting around until she found Lukas crouching to her right, staring at her intently. She returned it fearfully out of the corners of her eyes, breath and heart rate suddenly increased.

"Time's coming," he said, his voice hauntingly familiar and altogether plain scary, "It's…too bad that you'll most likely die tomorrow…sad really…It's always tragic to lose such a lovely neck,"

Everything that was functioning in Yumi absolutely froze in disgust, fear, and powerlessness. Under normal circumstances Yumi's blood would be boiling over, but having been through this experience…she had come to bend backwards to this crazy man's will. She winced and almost started struggling before she caught herself. What was it about this one _man_ that made her obey so?

Her thoughts flashed to Reese. He always seemed in control all the time somehow—but whenever his father showed up he was painfully willing to do what he said. It made Yumi wonder: was Reese just like her before his father cracked?

Or was it just an act, had his father always been this crazy?

Yumi would've loved to think about this more since it took her away from the current situation, but Lukas didn't seem to want to hear of this. He ripped her away from her thoughts the second she realized that his nose was scanning up and down her neck.

Yumi's eyes flew wide open in shock, her hair still being pulled back. Her voice was high-pitched, nearing a scream but holding back on volume ever so carefully.

"Ahhh!! _Ahhh!!_" She gurgled, trying to pull her head the other way. Lukas defied her, using the hand that controlled the hair to keep her where she was. Panic rose in Yumi's throat. There were no logical thoughts in her head—it was all instinct.

_Get away, GET AWAY. Use all you can to get away—this man is EVIL._

_Dammit. I can't get away._

As her heartbeat kept getting more and more frenzied, Yumi's thoughts became more and more desperate and animally simple.

"Gaaah!!"

Lukas didn't care. Didn't mind. Yumi shivered in utter horror as the skin of his lips barely grazed her jugular.

"_AHHHH!!_" She screamed, kicking and thrashing violently. Violation. That's all she knew—and she wanted to get away. She still wanted some control of her life. She still wanted to keep that shred of dignity she was so close to losing. Yumi turned her head away, screaming again.

She was silenced by a blow to the head.

Finding her hair released, Yumi felt the dull colors of the room splash insanely together as she fell in slow motion to the concrete ground, the ache in her head imitating Vesuvius. Lukas cursed some insults at her, but the pain and heat was too great for Yumi to understand what he said. The door to the unused storage room slammed shut, and Yumi was alone with Nevaeh still in hiding.

Something came to her mind while laying there in the smothered insanity, and Yumi turned her burning head to look at the place where Nevaeh was undoubtedly waiting and watching.

"Nevaeh…," Yumi gurgled softly, feeling something swell up in her chest, "Nevaeh, I forgot to tell you…,"

_How could you ever forget to tell her this?_

Tears burst from Yumi's eyes at her own stupidity and helplessness, though she kept talking to the table surrounded by boxes.

"I forgot…to tell you…," she stuttered, "Your brother loves you, Nevaeh…he loves you very much…," she sobbed into the concrete, still staring uselessly at the boxes.

"He loves you…," she repeated, nothing able to stop her tears now. She shut her eyes, her lips pulled down to make ugly creases of sad beauty on her face as Yumi continued to cry her heart out. Tears still cascaded out as she lowered her head and looked away from the boxes, feeling very much the traitor and the betrayed at the same time.

"He loves you…,"

Yumi couldn't hear it over the sound of her own sobs, but the boxes were shifted and for the first time since Yumi had been there, Nevaeh crawled out of her hiding hole while her father was still in the house, slowly advancing to Yumi on hands and knees. Before Yumi knew it the toddler's little hands swept across her cheek, trying to clear away the tears that stained her skin. Slowly Yumi shifted her head back, and from her laying position stared up at Nevaeh with poor red eyes. Nevaeh stared back but said nothing.

"He loves you…,"

Yumi finally identified the feelings that rose up in her heart. It was jealousy—pure and simple—but also love as well. Nevaeh wasn't merely a person's sibling anymore. She was a spiritual sister—a part of Yumi's family that she would protect with her life. Yumi laid her head back down and closed her eyes again and continued to cry. Nevaeh placed her hands on her head and laid down next to her in such a way that Yumi's head was now in Nevaeh's stomach instead of vice versa. Soon enough Yumi felt the little girl's hands pet her hair back, and felt all the need to smile but couldn't.

He loved Nevaeh. (So did she)

But he didn't love her. (And she wanted it—wanted to know it—for no reason)

Yumi clawed at her face, sobbing harder. Nevaeh placed one of her hands on Yumi's temple, and shushed her quietly almost like a mother.

That's when she knew. That's when Yumi thanked God that she wasn't alone.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_Okay, ended kinda dry...but I think that's alright. Because it was kinda supposed to leave you hanging, just a bit.  
_

_Luke-Ass is a sick bastard and mustn't die so he can be...punished. To say it lightly.  
_

_No rape though. He hasn't raped. At all. And he won't. He'll just violate Yumi's BRAAAAINS out._

_...God I'm in pain. Periods. Ugggghhhh..._


	8. Captive pt3

_Gackt is a babe, and my tribute from this installment, this LAST installment of Captive, goes squarely and securely to him._

_I'd ask you to love him but then that'd be taking him away from me. :) _

_Let the flames begin. (even if that wasn't Gackt right there)_

_

* * *

_**Captive pt. 3**

_Crayon Dreams_

Nighttime had settled in the storage room, making the blues black and the whites blue. A thin, almost insignificant thread of moonlight streamed down and rested upon Yumi's boot. Her legs were strewn in front of her in strange, yet comfortable ways. Nevaeh somehow found sleep lying limply across her uneven thighs, and her tiny thumb was slowly slipping away from her mouth, wrinkled and pink. Yumi was in a half-sleep state of not knowing whether she was still awake or in the presence of a thin dream. Her eyes were open to tiny slits, visions gently bordered by her eyelashes. She stared ahead without premise, no thoughts heavily concentrated on except the ones that stayed to chat for a while—just to remind her of what had happened that day.

The man had come in around noontime, dropped a box of old crayons and a stark white sheet of paper in front of Yumi. Utterly confused, Yumi foolishly glanced up at him in question. She immediately regretted it when she saw his smile, but she didn't tear her gaze away until she got an answer.

"Someone needs a present," he said plain and simple, "Some big brother needs a present—and fast,"

Yumi filled in the rest with her thoughts. _If it isn't done by the time I return, there will be consequences._ Reese's father left the room, but not the house. Yumi sat there, dazed for a few minutes before she jolted with realization and crawled over to Nevaeh's hiding spot.

Uneasily she had coaxed Nevaeh away from the security of the boxes out to the paper and crayons. Nevaeh, although she dared not struggle against her protector Yumi, whimpered and quietly moaned every step of the way. Yumi tried her best to be calm with the little girl, and placed the paper and a crayon in front of her. Nevaeh was just as confused as Yumi was, and looked to the older girl, wondering what she meant. Yumi forced out a smile and, as gently as she could without cracking her voice in fear, asked Nevaeh a question.

"Why don't you give your brother a…drawing, hmm? I'm sure he'll love it…,"

For a second Yumi feared it wasn't going to work as Nevaeh just continued to stare at her, making her uneasy. Those green eyes were so similar, so _hauntingly_ the same as Reese's, and they even looked at her in the same way too. When she and Reese were not fighting or really conversing about anything else he might stare at her with that deep, dreamy sort of stare that had the strongest hint of sadness in them, perhaps telling her all the time of the terrors he must have been through. There was also something else masked by the sadness that Yumi could never exactly pinpoint but had always passed it off as some sort of admiration.

As so it was with Nevaeh's unbearable green eyes, staring at her with that same exact gaze that belonged to her brother. Perhaps it was a psychic connection between the two siblings that automatically gave them these eyes, or perhaps it was just the amount of trauma each of them faced.

_No, that wasn't possible,_ Yumi reassured herself. Nevaeh didn't possess any of the gruesome scars that tattooed her brother's body. Still, the traumas—whatever they were—had the exact same effect on their eyes. Why was it always that that gave Yumi the awkward, downgrading feeling that they all knew something she didn't? Even this toddler girl seemed to have knowledge that Yumi failed to conceive. What was it about them?

For the first time in a long while, Nevaeh unleashed a small, bubbly smile as warm thoughts of her brother danced through her head, and she took up the crayon Yumi had placed for her and began to draw.

Yumi watched, enchanted at how uneven lines connected together to create a toddler's impression at human bodies. Each color that spilled out onto the paper had different effects and emotions for Yumi.

Yellow for summer, sun, and laughter.

Black for night, forests, and secrecy.

Orange for evenings, rest, and family.

Blue for sky, dreams, and other worlds.

Purple for friends, security, and tolerance.

Red for passion, selflessness, and love.

Green for the eyes.

Though Yumi had no desire to defile Nevaeh's picture, she complied with the toddler's requests and did what she was asked to do: the fine outline of the sun and the controlled zigzag of the grass. When all of the coloring was finished, Yumi helped Nevaeh in how to spell appropriate words for a letter—secretly telling her the spelling for "Brugger" instead of "Brother." Yumi thought for some reason that it would be more precious to Reese if she wrote that instead.

Nevaeh spelled her name correctly, though whether she was using the normal alphabet Yumi didn't know—and didn't care, personally. It was a lasting touch.

She was lost in her thoughts, and nearly jerked in surprise when Nevaeh pushed the paper at her arms. Yumi slightly lifted her stomach off of the cool concrete as suddenly a red-violet crayon was prominently in front of her face. Nevaeh was staring up at her expectantly. Yumi had only a second to think about what the little girl wanted to know what she was asking for.

"Oh, no, Nevaeh, this is your picture, I don't need to sign it, really,"

The toddler did not waver. It was as if Yumi's comment hadn't even reached her ears. A pang of regret and distant fear touched her in her heart, and she was about to repeat herself when Nevaeh spoke out.

"But you did th' sun an' the glass, an', an', and brugger won' mind."

Stupidly embarrassed and wondering why, Yumi retaliated, "But he might mind, Nevaeh, I'm not his little sister—,"

"But brugger likes yoo!"

Yumi was struck silent by this remark. Reese? _Like_ her? Ha! Haha! What an outright lie. He likes Aelita, definitely not her. Yumi wasn't going to explain how complicated their relationship was, maybe she should just give in and write her name there in Japanese. That should suffice.

But there was still something…a spark, a flicker of light in her chest. What was it?

Hope.

Did he really?

Yumi stared in wonder at his little sister. Sure, she saw things in her brother that Yumi didn't, spent more time with him, talked with him more, and probably caught him talking about things he wouldn't normally say in front of her. And, of course, with Nevaeh's heightened toddler senses, she might just see different things in the way he acted towards her than she did. Could it really be possible?

Leaving that thought hanging, Yumi finally let go of her grudge and wrote her name neatly in Japanese, as small as she could while still having it legible underneath Nevaeh's childishly written one.

"There," Yumi said with finality, setting the crayon down and staring down at the piece. Nevaeh had drawn both her and her brother, holding hands on the flat plane of grass done by Yumi. The resemblances between the drawing and the real thing were quite accurate, going by the eyes of a toddler. Even Reese's scar was drawing in an X on his cheek in red.

Red for passion, selflessness, and love.

No.

Red for—

The door swung open without warning, and Nevaeh squealed, splitting Yumi's ears as a sudden torpedo of weight blew into her stomach. Thinking instinctively, Yumi threw her arms around Nevaeh and held her tight to her chest, scooting herself away as much as possible before he approached.

After the survival instinct came the fear, gripping first in her ribcage and attacking her lungs. It then spread, as easily as spilt water. Thorny vines of fear intertwined in her muscles and worked their gradual way to her brain. Yumi began to hyperventilate—not knowing what he was going to do or how he was going to respond seeing Nevaeh outside of her hiding.

He said nothing as he walked forward. Ever so slowly he bent down and picked the crayon drawing up, making Yumi hyperventilate faster. Yumi's fear traveled to Nevaeh and Nevaeh began to desperately muffle her whimpers and cries. Although the toddler had shielded her eyes from all sight save the ribbed cotton of Yumi's tank-top, she could literally feel the ripples and sensations of sheer horror in the air, and as Yumi's hot breath blew parts of her hair back Nevaeh's little brain calculated the direness of the situation.

Yumi watched through her red and black strands of hair as he studied the drawing, no readable expression on his face except his ever present aura of faint, dark amusement. A piercing, blinding light bulb flashed alive in her head, turning her stomach to stone.

She had written Japanese on the picture.

A brand new wave of rose-thorn fear clutched at her chest, colder and deeper this time. She winced, and tried to draw back further. They were rose vines no more, but sharp, forgotten barbed wire. Oh, if he had a fit about the Japanese she wrote, there'd be none of her left!

Why did he even hate the Japanese, the Orientals, so? Did he even have a reason other than what he was taught that when he grew up? If only she knew…

Nevaeh's father took his face away from the picture and stared down at them, still with no expression. He said nothing. Yumi froze and stared back at him, unsure of how this was going to play out. For no reason that she could grasp at the moment she hugged Nevaeh closer, pushing her against her chest even harder.

Then the smile came. He still said nothing, no words, not even sound effects. All he did was give her that all-too-familiar grin. He liked it. He liked the drawing, and for whatever use he was going to use it for it would fulfill it with grandeur. In fact, it was probably better than he had dreamed it would be. Yumi's throat undulated with gurgles under her curtain of hair, and she shrank back, wrapping her arms around Nevaeh tighter and lowering her face into her fine russet hair.

He did not move for several long minutes. Then he decidedly turned on his heel and walked back, amusement clouding around him as he opened the door, shut it, and did seemingly aimless things about the house. It wasn't long before Yumi and Nevaeh heard the car shudder to life and drive away down the street.

Either surprisingly or not, it did nothing for their nerves.

Yumi got a sick feeling in her throat, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling with an unforgettable, unforgiving sensation. It told her one thing.

Because of that picture—because of what they had done—somewhere out there Reese was screaming.

Yumi stifled a moan, dully ignoring her fever, and closed her eyes to the darkened room, wanting to move her lifeless legs but not allowing herself to do it for Nevaeh's sake. Said toddler was sound asleep, unvisited by any sort of dream or nightmare.

Within a few moments Yumi would be greatly envious of her.

Whatever colors that was there in the room seemed to blend together into one in Yumi's mind, and a dull recognition of falling asleep rested on her shoulders as her head fell down. The thread of moonlight that was perched on her boot seemed to shine brighter than ever before, and that strand of light was the last thing Yumi remembered before she plunged into darkness.

Where the hell _was_ she?

Well, it was dark. She's got that covered. Looking at her boot proved she was not awake by the absence of the moonbeam. There were no blues around, and there was no toddler resting heavily on her thighs. Yumi looked around herself before standing up, declaring in her head that she was surrounded by nothing but darkness. And the last time _that_ happened she—she shuddered, and pushed the awful dream from her mind. Yumi didn't want to think about something like that in a time like this.

The question of what to do now was interrupted when her vision swept over a person that wasn't there before. She gaped, swung her eyes back, and nearly fell back down with a plop.

Ulrich was there again.

Nothing, not even a hair had changed on him since the last time she really saw him two years ago. He looked just the same, unkempt brown hair, distastefully green clothes, cheap white skateboarding shoes, lean but still thin arms, deprived of their full size they should've been by the trap of pre-pubescence. The only difference was that his green eyes were now filled to the point of overflowing with horrendous sorrow. How Yumi did not know—this feature was strictly new to her. Even when Ulrich was sulking he never ever looked at her like this—nor did he look like this at all through all of the years she had known him. Reasons clawed at her from behind until she finally came up with one conclusion: his death.

That must've been it. It had to be. There should've been no other reason—but then, why was part of Yumi screaming at her that this wasn't right; there was another, better reason to this question?

Yumi opened her mouth, but no words came out. What could she say? What _would_ she say? What was she going to say anyways? Mentally kicking herself, she closed her mouth again and winced, unable to take her eyes off of him. Then, Ulrich spoke.

"I didn't mean this,"

"Ulri—,"

"Never meant for you to end up…,"

"Ulrich…,"

"Never wanted to lie…to you, I…,"

"Lie?"

"You don't know. Of course. I can't let you know. But I want you to understand, I…,"

"Ulrich? What are you talking about?"

The young boy choked back on his saliva, and his eyes got shielded with reflection. The tears had welled up, and were about to break. Then he whipped his head away, and the soft tone in his voice changed to forced fury.

"No, nevermind. Get out of here. Get out of my sight. I can't see you anymore. You remind me too much of…," Ulrich bowed his head, and pathetically whispered to the darkness, "…me."

Yumi took a few steps toward him, wanting to help in any way she could. But, as if he was sulking back in the real world, Ulrich had put up an invisible force field.

"I said _go away!!_" He suddenly roared, making Yumi flinch in her place. She stared at him, wondering, just _wondering_ why this was happening. The longer she stared the more she saw, and then she caught him with tears pouring out of his eyes. Not just any type of tears either.

Red tears.

_Red for passion_.

"Ulrich? No, no, you're hurt, let me—,"

"There's nothing you can do." He interrupted, hoping for finality. Yumi stood up straight and defiant.

"You need to let me try!"

"You'll fail," he stated simply, "you'll only bring that upon yourself. It's not your fault. I never want it to be. Just let me be,"

"No, Ulrich!" She screamed, fear welling up inside her ribcage. She was losing him again. Visions of her giving her one last forlorn glance before he slammed the car door shot through her head again, and again, and _again_. _Never_ again.

Ulrich backed away, and for every step he took she took two. A pained scowl appeared on his face finally, bringing more red tears with it. Yumi took more steps, and nearly had him.

His hand shot out before she could do anything, gripping her shoulder down to the skin, twisting it ever so painfully. Shock covered up what would've been a loud wince, and she looked to Ulrich for an explanation.

Yumi never got one.

Through means unknown Ulrich flung her aside and for a short moment she was flying, falling, then flying again. What wasn't that long of a distance seemed like a mile, and when it all ended in a flash Yumi found a boy blocking her vision, nearly black jacket to a lightly scarred neck base.

_Black for secrecy_.

Reese said nothing, mimicking his father from earlier in the day. Yumi stopped short and could do nothing but stare through his chest to the darkness that lay beyond. After a while she stepped back from the uncomfortably close setting so she could clearly see his broken face, knitted together at his left cheek. Though she had many times described it in her head as 'ugly' she had grown on his scar, accepting that Reese wouldn't be Reese without it. Somehow that gong rang true, whether Yumi had really known what it meant or not.

Reese still said nothing, remaining as a statue, staring blankly into her eyes. Uncontrolled shivers ran through Yumi, making it a very short time from the point of arrival to the point of Yumi breaking the unbearable silence.

"R-Reese?"

He shifted a little, and Yumi called out his name again. He flinched this time, his head dropping its gaze away from her. Right before Yumi was going to try a third time his body was rocked with irregular spasms, showing mostly at his shoulders and bent neck. Some sort of alien incantation was running past Reese's lips at a whisper, and Yumi had the urge to lean in to hear it but told herself not to. It wouldn't be within her personal bubble to do that.

The incantations continued, the more they got repeated the more flustered and desperate they became. Yumi squirmed in her place, and before long she couldn't help it and walked back up to him.

"Reese," she said, a little bit of control back in her voice, "Reese, look up at me. Now," It took a while, and Yumi was about to repeat herself on the premise that he didn't hear her when Reese looked up.

Yumi gagged and stuttered. This was not the Reese she was used to seeing. The 'normal' Reese that Yumi had come to know was dark, silent, foreboding, angry, commanding, and at certain points nasty—whether it was to her, someone else, or to himself. She knew about his soft spots rather well in fact, seeing the way he acted around his sister and the other toddlers, as well as seeing his reactions when his baby sister was in trouble.

This was _not_ that Reese.

The irregular spasms were explained when he looked up at her, and she saw the worst scars anyone could have on their face. Tears. Reese was sobbing helplessly and endlessly, still murmuring his incantations. Yumi stared hard at him, shocked but unwilling to back away. She eventually wanted to break Reese and learn all about him and why he was the way he was, and if this was it she wasn't giving it up for nothing.

Until she listened and comprehended hard enough to actually hear him.

"_Help me, oh God please help me, help me, help me, help me please, please, help me…,_"

For yet another time, the age old villain Fear crawled into her chest again, this time to stay. _What was…he was…saying this…Does he need…Does he need my_—

Before Yumi's thoughts could finish themselves Reese's head was thrown back with unseen force, and a clean crescent of blood ripped open one slash of his X scar, the crescent flying and falling across Yumi's face, warm, thick, and soon to be sticky. She gasped and stood there for a moment just as King's Carrie had when she had been covered in blood. Reese stifled a scream for only a moment until the next force knocked him back the other way, reopening the rest of his X. The crescent from this attack didn't quite reach Yumi, but it fell so close she swore she could still feel the heat off of it. Complete silence filled the room as Reese righted his head, blood scrolling down his cheek.

_Where had Yumi seen that before?! It was so familiar! So familiar, so—_

Reese screamed this time, as another scar somewhere on his arm ripped open, spilling red onto his jacket.

_Red for selflessness_.

(so familiar)

Yumi stood petrified as the unseen slashes kept coming, reopening all of Reese's scars and re-burning his pasty wrinkled skin where the stove had touched him.

(that face, so familiar)

She could think of nothing else to do. She stepped forward, closing nearly every gap between them, the only thing stopping her was that vision over his shoulder. Ulrich was facing away from her, a ghostly light surrounding him. It was obvious he was screaming as—just like Reese—he was racked with all different kinds of scars from the unseen force. The more Yumi gazed in wonder, the more she realized…

Ulrich was gaining the exact same scars that Reese was having reopened.

(you have a real knack for saving tails, don't you)

Petrified, Yumi did nothing more. She watched Ulrich flail with each new scar, feeling it every time Reese got his with his spilling blood and violent jerks.

Then, somewhere along half-way done with Reese's scars, Ulrich fell. More slashes kept tearing mercilessly at him, but he still fell, lifeless and giving up. Reese kept receiving them, screaming in utter pain now. As soon as Ulrich hit the ground Yumi screamed with Reese. It wasn't too long until the ghostly light enveloped Ulrich's corpse and he was gone.

Gone.

(erm, not really it's more of a 'leap before you look' kind of thing)

_Oh God._

_Oh my God._

(where is it broken)

(my heart)

Gone forever.

Yumi wanted to scream again, but subconsciously Reese interrupted her.

"_GOD help me help me PLEASE HELP ME help me, oh GOD HELP ME HELP ME…!_"

Yumi turned to Reese, gave no thoughts of anything but emptiness, saw the blood that had been splattered on to her, and didn't care anymore. Ulrich was gone. Reese needed help so badly. And Yumi was alone.

With no one to stop her, no thoughts to contradict her, and nothing but her heart feeling for her, Yumi gave a sob and pressed herself against Reese, bringing her arms behind him and pulling him even closer. Reese stopped for just a moment in his screams, and they lowered to a normal talking level but by no means did they lose the cry within them. He did not hug her back as more scars kept getting hit, reopened, and sabotaged. Yumi was shocked, surprised, _appalled _to see that he had acquired _so many_ within his life time. Such a short lifetime…

Yumi broke down and sobbed with him.

"Reese, Reese, shut up Reese just shut up, please, don't cry oh my _God_ Reese, don't cry like that, please!!"

Reese fell, and Yumi had such an earsplitting scream that at first she didn't know it was her that was doing it. She wouldn't allow herself to be torn from him—it happened to her once, and regardless if she liked Reese or not she would _not _be torn from him. Yumi gripped on for dear life and fell with him.

Reese fell to his knees, sobbing, still crying out with hoarse whispers with the message 'I give up' intertwined within them. Yumi pulled him tighter and began to scold him again.

"No, Reese, don't do this, get back up, _stand up dammit!_ Don't give up like this, don't, not like this, don't do this, not to you, no, don't do this to me Reese STAND UP!"

Reese uttered a helpless sob, and the last scar exploded on his back, then there was that awful quiet again with only Reese and Yumi sobbing. Reese was a limp and lifeless doll, and Yumi found herself supporting all of him. Before she knew it, as she was still screaming at him through her tears, she was rocking him back and forth. Back and forth. It was all just a dream. Just a dream.

_Just_ a dream?

Reese's chant suddenly changed. Yumi jumped and listened so hard to him.

"_Help…please…why won't anyone…please, just please help…I…can't…mother I couldn't…,_"

For no reason Yumi turned her head to the side, seeing that they were now nearly towered by nothing but a simple gravestone. There was only the first name of 'MERIA' engraved on it, the last name scratched out to the point of unreadable. Beneath her name was chipped in a simple expected phrase.

BELOVED MOTHER AND

The 'wife', as well as the last name, had been scratched off. Red trickled down from where the 'wife' should've been, leaving it obvious what happened without dates.

_Red for love._

Reese sobbed, nearly heaved, then sobbed some more, his chant done. The message was clearer to Yumi now.

And she felt bad.

What she had said to him so long ago. About his mother. The way she had just treated him in general regardless if he deserved it or not. Feeling 'bad' was hardly enough to say what kind of mixed sorrow emotions she felt, but nothing in the entire world could really describe how monstrously torn Yumi was inside.

So now she had to redeem herself. Only this time, the taste of redemption was sweet in her mouth, a fiery sort of sweet, a desiring sort of sweet.

She did not allow herself to dwell on the name this sort of redemption came from. She simple took Reese by the back of the head and the waist and pulled him even closer, resting her cheek gently on his head, never taking her eyes off of the grave. She continued to rock gently back and forth, as if he was a baby younger than his sister. He still sobbed, but for some reason the sobs didn't seem so forlorn anymore. Yumi petted back his messy russet hair, realizing that part of his face was touching her neck.

But she didn't care.

Reese was, as stated, a bastard, a jerk, an angry opponent—but there seemed to be one thing he never wanted to do again in his lifetime.

Harm her.

Maybe that was a call into the dark, but even if he did harm her, the things he would do to redeem himself…the thoughts made her wince and shudder. And as she had stupidly told him before this all happened, he made her feel safe. Somehow, Reese Anders made her feel safe. Perhaps it was because he was the only person who really, _really_ understood what was going on. But perhaps it was something more.

The dream began to flicker and fade like an old movie tuning out. She lost her sense of color, and as it ended she heard one more thing added.

_Bright red tears traced by a trembling finger, I had nothing to lose, nothing to lose…_

(and yet he lost it all)

Yumi awoke with a start. Nevaeh was clinging helplessly to her body, her face pressed up against her breasts. Confusion lasted for only a moment until she saw that man's face. Then it was the spiking fear.

Two minutes later Yumi and Nevaeh were lying down in the back seat of his car, one of them whimpering and the other staring into dead space, wondering, just _wondering_ what would happen next.

When they got out of the car near the factory Yumi knew that for at least one person today, the factory would become their burial site. She just didn't know how.

Or who.

* * *

_Let's play a game. Who can spot the Gackt lyrics? Ohohoho. Stupid me used the English version. Hmmm. Let's try this: Furueru yubi de akai namida wo nazotta. Though I'm sure it didn't help. Helps for me though. I know what some of the words mean. Well. One of the words. Akai is red. HAHA! Like that helps._

_By the way peeps: I'm grounded! Yaaaaay! Um. I don't know for how long, I'm going to wait it out a little bit longer until I can squeeze some adequate proof through. Hacha? HACHA._


	9. Charades

_Okey guys. I'm not deceased. I Will Remember has NOT been discontinued. What is the reason for this massive delay? Simple words:_

_School, Math, and Complicated Figurations of the Happenstances in the Next Chapter (yup)_

_I haven't stopped thinking about Reese though. Need you to know that._

_**A short warning ahead:** Lukasrape be located in here. It is not described, but it is referenced in here. (also, Yumi may be preg, wtf?!) Also: Moar abortion talk. I want you to know my stance on abortion now: I am mostly a pro-lifer. Mostly. Certain cases like life-threatening to the mother and child and violent are cases that I would be, uh, yeah okay on. Other than that, adoption or take care of that bologna loaf yourself._

_Clarification: Yumi does not get d...well...not in the ACTUALLY WRITTEN story posted as I Will Remember You anyways...(snicker)  
_

* * *

I can't stand this charade any longer.

I told her I loved her. She didn't hear. Her breaths were steady with the ease of sleep, her head resting on my collarbone.

My father had beaten, violated, and d her. She didn't want to say or hear it, but she was broken. I was the only one who knew of her current situation; out of all of the people she trusted she chose me, her most d acquaintance.

I could tell she was scared—more frightened than before even. Her period was late. It didn't mean anything yet, not quite yet. But she scared me just a little while ago. She didn't want to raise a child of that monster. (she knows I am a child of the monster, but I would suppose this is a different way of looking at that) She didn't want to go through all of this. I was petrified—no matter what I didn't want an abortion to follow through. I would've had three other siblings if my mother hadn't had got the abortions to protect the children from my father.

I told her that I would help take care of the baby if there was one.

She screamed at me.

Gripping her shoulders and staring into her lost eyes, I firmly repeated what I said.

She screamed at me again, softer this time without the flare then shrank down and began to cry. Feeling tears at the back of my throat, I kneeled down beside her and let her cry, allowing her to cling to me for comfort.

It took a while, but I coaxed her to sleep. I told her I loved her, knowing that I couldn't stand this charade any longer.

* * *

_I talk too much._

_(Skillet, Dragonforce, Gackt, and Nightwish for the WIN.)_


	10. The Eyes of Heaven

_ what be wrong with yooooou?! D8 I couldn't submit this for like, DAYS. I wanted to submit it ASAP so actually DeviantFART got to take a look at it first for a change. (in case you don't know, you fanfictioners are lucky, I Will Remember the Others is only a part of and not DeviantFART.) So in sense you guys lose. _Horribly.

_Well the DeviantFartists liked it_ so you should too! _It's all about Nevaeh! Everyone loves Nevaeh! If you don't you are banished to uh...The Fire Swamp! With R.O.U.S.! Or the Bog of Eternal Stench, whichever._

_No I haven't been geeking recently leave me alone!_

* * *

**The Eyes of Heaven**

Brugger had taken her for a walk with his friends in the Hundred-Acre Woods near his school. She didn't want to travel too far ahead of them, but sometimes a butterfly would be too pretty to pass up. Most of the time though she stayed close to her beloved Brugger, holding his hand that seemed to engulf her entire arm. She recalled that almost every time that they walked out here together the sun shined through the trees, catching through the newborn leaves and lighting up the place with golden warmth.

Nevaeh loved her Brugger. Through some unseen force she could see that he loved her very much as well. She also could see through the same force that all of his friends shared affection for her. Some of his friends acted a bit strange toward him, but Nevaeh didn't seem to care or notice that she was the thread holding the cloth together.

She liked every single one of them, Jerremi gave her the coolest little toys ever, I-Leeda was so nice to her all the time and loved to play with her no matter what was going on, and absolutely seemed to be fascinated with her. Odd was so funny and was there even when it was raining—and he was so silly when that happened too. And his doggie! Kiwii!

Yoomee took a while to break. There was no doubt in Nevaeh's mind that Yoomee liked her, but it just seemed that she didn't want to show it especially around Brugger. Nevaeh couldn't really comprehend why at this age, but nevertheless because Yoomee liked to watch rather than play Nevaeh made sure that she was almost always at the center of attention for everyone. Yoomee's face had changed colors to pink on more than one occasion when Nevaeh did this, but she let Nevaeh persist until her face changed colors again back to the way it normally was.

Nevaeh always paid special attention to Yoomee. She could sense that every time Yoomee drew near that Brugger would get all tense and quiet. It wasn't the threatening kind of tense either; it was the simple kind of tense that one gets when they're lost in deep affection. Or so Nevaeh interpreted. Silently she could tell that Brugger was head over heels in something the storybooks called "True Love." She didn't exactly know why Yoomee couldn't see this or why Brugger was always so locked up about it during the day, because if someone True Loved someone else then they should live Happily Ever After the End!

As they walked farther down the path to their normal clearing, Nevaeh suddenly wondered if Brugger had ever "True Love Kissed." A peal of laughter rose up from the group from Silly Odd (or Unka Odd as she started to call him recently, even if she didn't know what an uncle was) and Nevaeh stayed silent for a while. They were talking and it was rude to interrupt.

When they got to the clearing everyone started to sit down with either homework or books—or in Jerremi's case his laptop. When there was a break in the noise Nevaeh finally piped up as she sat down next to Brugger.

"Brugger, have you ever "Troo Luv Kissed"?"

Brugger, to her curiosity, immediately dropped his book and coughed loudly in shock as if he had swallowed something down the wrong pipe. Everyone looked up from what they were previously doing, Unka Odd smiling in evil glee. They all were waiting for an answer from Nevaeh's spontaneous question.

After Brugger regained his breath, his face changed colors like Yoomee's only with a brighter, deeper color. Nevaeh briefly wondered if they had different lights inside their cheeks or something before he shakily answered.

"Ahah…kaff kaff, what do you mean by that?"

"Troo Luv's Kiss! Like from the storybooks n' stuff! Like, like, Sleeping Buty or something!"

Brugger gave an insecure cough again to the side and tried to dodge the question to no avail.

"Uh, well, I'm kind of youn—,"

"Have you?" Nevaeh pestered.

"Well I…,"

Nevaeh either spotted or _sensed_ that Brugger gave a few quick nervous glances in Yoomee's direction from underneath the curtain of hair that conveniently fell down in front of his face as soon as she asked. Jerremi was staring at him suspiciously over the top of his computer while Odd began to giggle maniacally. I-Leeda, embarrassed, turned away while blushing. Yoomee, as usual, pretended that she wasn't listening _too_ intently. Nevaeh gave a slight pout of disapproval in her direction and turned back to pestering Brugger who was struggling to get his book open with sweaty fingers.

"Brug-_ger!!_" Nevaeh curtly reminded. Brugger ever so slightly winced before giving in with an exasperated sigh.

"No. No I haven't."

Brugger's voice had the solemn weight of truth attached to it, and Nevaeh sat back down, satisfied that she at least got some sort of answer from him. Awkward silence passed between the teenagers, the "awkward" part totally lost on Nevaeh. Odd was the first to break it by continuing his incessant giggling. There was a short while where Nevaeh was pretty much satisfied, until another question plagued her head.

"Brugger?"

"Hmm?" He asked emotionlessly, with only a hint of embarrassed annoyance in his voice.

"Are you in Troo Luv Brugger?"

Drop the book, cough again, and uneasily pick it up, hiding your face behind it.

"Erm…," he stalled, his face changing colors again. Nevaeh let him stall longer this time as she got up, uselessly brushed herself off, then romped across the clearing and sat in Yoomee's lap. Yoomee jerked in surprise but let the toddler sit there…for now.

A queasy feeling flashed in Nevaeh's stomach as Brugger stole a glance up at her, and Nevaeh couldn't help but grin widely. The queasy feeling came from Brugger, she was sure of it. She didn't quite understand what he was sick about, but at least she knew that she had finally got him. Somehow.

"Bruggerrrr!" Nevaeh sang anxiously. Without warning Unka Odd burst into loud laughter and joined in with Nevaeh.

"Aw, c'mon Reese, she didn't ask _who_, she just asked if you are! C'mon, lover boy! Good Ol' Fashioned Lover Boy!" he joked, earning a grade A glare from Brugger himself.

"She'll ask who if I answer though!"

Unka Odd's eyebrows shot up as his eyes grew. He immediately stood up, ed Nevaeh from Yoomee, and started to fly around with her, making her squeal in excitement.

"Didja hear that Nevaeh? Didja?"

"Hear whuuuut?" Nevaeh giggled as the wind lightly pummeled her face.

"He said 'She'll ask who if I answer though'!! Do y'know what that means?!" Unka Odd shouted. Brugger stood up, his face a totally different color of bright red. Nevaeh thought that the lights were burning their brightest inside of his cheeks now.

"Odd, don't you da—,"

"What does it mean, Unka Odd?!" Nevaeh asked. I-Leeda couldn't help but smile as the two flew around the clearing, Brugger off to the side and getting more embarrassed by the second.

"It means that he's in _Love!!! _It means yes! He's in _True Love_ like a good ol' fashioned Lover Boy!! Ahahaha!"

"_Odd!_" Brugger protested, his face screaming red. Nevaeh squealed again in glee as Unka Odd finally sat her down off to the side, grinning uneasily.

"Aw, c'mon man it's just a bit of fu—,"

Unka Odd didn't even get to finish his sentence before Brugger gave one giant leap across the clearing, tackling Unka Odd immediately to the ground, snarling in rage. Unka Odd screamed for only half a second, then began to roar with a laughter that clearly said _I REGRET NOTHING!_

After a while I-Leeda forced herself to get up and broke up the two childish boys beating each other up on the ground in front of her. Nevaeh watched from I-Leeda's previous spot until everyone was oriented the way they were. Unka Odd had to have one final say.

"So Reese are you gonna tell Nevaeh who it is?" he asked Brugger darkly. Brugger shot him another evil glare and opened his mouth to respond.

"Odd—,"

"I alreddy know who it is," Nevaeh said loudly. Everyone was hushed silent, all eyes turned toward her. She looked around at everyone before glanced at Brugger, who looked at her in confused curiosity. Nevaeh shrugged off the stares without difficulty and walked over to her Brugger, sitting herself with her back to his side and sucking her thumb. It was getting close to her naptime anyways.

As Nevaeh started to drift off into lazy slumber Brugger looked up, giving the entire group a "what the hell is going on here did she really just say that?" look, telling them that no, he really didn't know what was going on either.

Nevaeh turned to the inside of the circle right before she fell asleep. Yoomee's image blurred in front of her from behind Brugger's shoe, and she fell asleep.

--

Brugger was taking her on a walk through the Hundred-Acre Woods again, but this time it was only her and Brugger and it was nearly pitch dark. There were a few times where Nevaeh expressed her fears to Brugger, but Brugger only said that if there _was_ anything out there, which there probably wasn't, he'd protect her if it decided to come out. Nevaeh was comforted by this immensely. There was a very small part of her that saw to her Brugger's senses and tapped upon the slim feeling of fear that he too held. This notion was not paid attention to by her at this time, and was roughly pushed aside.

After a while of walking with Brugger's hand engulfing her again Brugger stopped and sat down in a small, pointed plain of grass. The aura around Brugger said to simply 'stay with him' and do nothing else. Nevaeh complied with the silent order and sat in Brugger's lap.

His warm arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her, one of his hands pointing upwards at the inky sky.

"Look Nevaeh, look up there, what do you see?"

Nevaeh looked up, then had her breath catch in her throat. The moon was missing from the sky, completely replaced with a countless swarm of bright little dots.

"Brugger! Those'r…Those'r…!"

"Stars, yes, lots of them aren't there?"

"A million!"

Brugger chuckled warmly, "No, even more,"

Nevaeh looked up at him in wide-eyed shock. She couldn't even comprehend much less than think of a number greater than a _million_.

"How much more?!" she asked in awe. Brugger looked up at the sky, contemplating for a moment, then plainly answered.

"Infinity."

"Infinatee?" Nevaeh asked in wonder, not knowing what he was saying. Brugger laughed warmly again and explained.

"Infinity goes on for ever and ever, Nevaeh. It never ends,"

Nevaeh gasped and looked back up at the stars.

"For ever and ever…," she echoed. Brugger rested his chin on her head and stared down at her, mixed feelings coming to her from his gaze. She continued to stare at the stars, pretending not to notice the feelings he was giving her. She couldn't name all of them, and so it was useless to even begin to name what he was feeling.

After a while Nevaeh failed to fight back a mighty yawn. Brugger asked her if she wanted to go back, but when she said 'no' he hummed lowly, then laid all the way back as if the grass was merely his bed. Nevaeh struggled for a bit until Brugger's hands righted her on his chest. It made for easier stargazing, she noticed. But the calm beating of Brugger's heart and the rhythm of his breaths invoked a great sleepiness within the little toddler. Once again she was drifting off in the Hundred-Acre Woods, but before she could lose herself she asked her Brugger a few questions.

"Brugger?"

"Hmm?"

"You're in Troo Luv with Yoomee, right?"

Brugger made a slight shift before responding.

"…You did know. How?"

"I dunno," she asked honestly. It was just…one of those things that seemed to come easy to her right now. It just seemed so obvious to her that Brugger was in True Love, and it totally confused her that no one else seemed to notice this.

"Promise not to tell?" He said, his voice lazily ringing in Nevaeh's ears through his chest.

"Yeh…," she answered, "How much do you Troo Luv her?"

Brugger let out a breath that was half of a laugh.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Dunno." She answered, her words getting slurred.

"A lot. A whole lot." He said. Nevaeh sighed before continuing.

"Infinatee?"

Brugger paused, staring up at the stars. It was a minute later when he answered truthfully.

"…Yeah."

"An' you love me, right?"

"Of course, Nevvie." Brugger answered, a hint of concern in his voice. He almost anticipated the next question to come out of her mouth before she even said it.

"How much?"

"Infinity."

Nevaeh was silent for a while, wondering how this could be. Brugger began to fear that Nevaeh was going to get herself into a love competition until she asked the next question.

"Then togever we make more than infinatee," she finalized, "…right?"

Brugger glanced down at his chest at her before cradling her small head in his hand and kissing the top of it lightly. She was so mature for a little one—and heck, she was making more sense of love than any philosopher could out there. It must've been that she was young enough to not have a veil of memories and thoughts to cloud her vision.

"Right…," he confirmed softly, sensing she was near sleep. Nevaeh gave a settled sigh of satisfaction, turning onto her side away from the stars. Brugger almost thought she was completely asleep when she asked her last question.

"Brugger…what are the stars made of?"

Brugger stared up at the sky, studying every star he could as he answered with his belief.

"Spirits."

* * *

_I was sick for about six days straight so this is what you get. Were you expecting more? I'm sorry. I had more important business to attend to. Like vomiting.  
_

_...or Twilight Princess.  
_


	11. Brugger

One of those things that comes up on a whim where you're like: I am writing this right. Now. Right. Now. I don't care if it's 11:00 pm and school is tomorrow and it's the end of Spring Break. I am writing this Right. Now.

Please enjoy. Please review. Please, please, please. Yes I am begging of you, because for no particular reason this story, this installment, touches close to my heart. I did not cry while writing, but God strike me with lightning if I cannot cry now.

This story goes from the time Nevaeh was first kidnapped (without Yumi), all the way through the Captive installments, to the time Reese fell from the factory roof.

Why do I have so much joy in writing through Nevaeh?

* * *

_I need Brugger!_

_I need Brugger!!_

_I need Brugger!!!_

_Brugger this hurts! Brugger I'm hurting! Brugger I need you! Brugger, I can't breathe! Brugger, I'm scared! I'm scared! I can't stop crying Brugger! Where are you, Brugger, where are you please Brugger!_

_Somebody's out there Brugger, different than before! I know it isn't you, Brugger, but I want it to be you!_

_Brugger they've found me. They're reaching for me. I don't want them to find me. I don't want them to reach for me. I want you. I want you!_

_Brugger they've got me!_

_Brugger...Brugger they know my name!_

_Brugger they say they won't hurt me. They pull me into the light Brugger, and it's not like any light before—there is no sun here Brugger._

_They look down at me Brugger, and I think I know. I think I know who they—who she is. Brugger, the one you True Love is with me. Brugger, did you send her? If you did then thank you. Even if you didn't want to thank you. I know you did it for me, because you love me too. Only not the True Love, because you can't love me like that._

_She protects me Brugger. She protects me because of you, Brugger. She tries, Brugger, she tries so hard. She protects me Brugger. You know what that means Brugger._

_It means she gets hurt instead of me._

_Brugger I can hear her scream. I can't see why she screams, because I'm covering my eyes Brugger. It's all scary Brugger and I don't like it and I wish I could be strong like you Brugger, and I wish I could help her. But I am not strong so I cover my eyes Brugger and wait until the screaming stops. She gasps. She's hurting, Brugger. I think you know because I think she was talking to you. The Nightmare Man is talking to you too. And Brugger I think you know she's hurting._

_I want to hear your voice, Brugger, but I am not brave. I feel that you want to hear me too, Brugger, and I feel that you are hurting to because she and I are hurting. I understand things Brugger, I understand things I don't know about._

_She's stopped screaming Brugger. The Nightmare Man leaves and she stops screaming. The Nightmare Man is still here Brugger, I can hear him. I can hear her too._

_Brugger, now she's crying._

_Brugger, now she's weeping on the hard ground like it's the end of the world. She says a word I've heard Mrs. Periwinkle use towards you, but I don't know it Brugger. It sounds like Oolrick, Brugger. Is that your name Brugger? She calls you Reese, but I don't think that's your name Brugger. It doesn't fit you Brugger, it's just not your name._

_The Nightmare Man leaves, Brugger. I'm strong enough now Brugger, I can go help her now Brugger, like you would want me to. I don't know if I'm doing it right, Brugger, but I try, Brugger, I really do try._

_She holds me, Brugger. She holds me close. I clutch at her and I don't ever want to let go, Brugger, that's how it feels. I think you understand me Brugger, I think you know how this feels._

_I sleep, Brugger. I sleep to the pounding of her heart, the heart you're in True Love with, Brugger. My sleep is not well, but it's better than the Nightmare Man's room, it's better than her sleep._

_She's dreaming, Brugger, she's dreaming about you. I try to wake her up, Brugger, because her cries scare me. She thanks me, Brugger._

_She thanks me._

_I've done something right Brugger. I did something good. Are you proud of me Brugger? I want to hear your answer Brugger, but the Nightmare Man won't let me._

_I hear your voice Brugger. It is not pure, but it is your voice and it frightens me Brugger. You are scared, Brugger, why are you scared? You say our name's with such desperation Brugger, are you ashamed of us? Ashamed of yourself?_

_Brugger I cover my eyes again, for she is screaming. This time you don't know, Brugger, you don't know she's hurting but you still care. I can feel that you still care. She can't feel it though, so she screams louder. Why can't she feel you like I do, Brugger? Does she not know you Love her? Does she not know she Loves you?_

_How do you not know, Brugger? How?_

_She cries, Brugger. She cries for me and Brugger the Nightmare Man is here Brugger and I'm scared, but she still cries to me. She tells me you love me Brugger, you love me very much. I don't know why you really do, Brugger, but I accept your love._

_I feel your spirit in me, Brugger, and you are strong. I want to help her Brugger but I am scared. Yet you stay with me and tell me to be brave._

_I am scared, Brugger._

_So you tell me, Brugger, you tell me being brave is being scared but not showing it. I trust you Brugger, so I am brave. The Nightmare Man is here and I am scared but I pretend not to be, Brugger, I follow your guidance very well, Brugger do you see? She is at my knees now and she is crying as she stares at me._

_Brugger I am scared._

_But I do not show it, just for you Brugger._

_She finds comfort in me, Brugger, but really she's finding comfort in you, because it was you who had me walk to her. Brugger can you see? I think she loves me, Brugger, but she doesn't know, Brugger, that when she loves me she is actually loving you too._

_I feel her, Brugger. She is in my lap and I can feel her as I try to wipe her tears away Brugger. She needs someone, Brugger, she needs someone like you Brugger. I don't understand but I know why you wouldn't tell her earlier Brugger. You tried to protect her for as long as you could, Brugger, didn't you?_

_Brugger, oh Brugger, does this mean, Brugger that you were hurting too? Yes Brugger, yes you were, long before I knew you Brugger. I know you are still hurting, but not as much as before Brugger._

_Did I make the hurt go away, Brugger? Did I help you, Brugger, when I didn't know you needed help? Brugger, I saw you happy with me, with your friends, with her._

_Brugger I know; you are not happy now._

_I am scared again Brugger, but I cannot pretend not to be this time. I can't be guided by you Brugger. I am confused, Brugger, and so I cannot feel you Brugger. You are far away and only she and the Nightmare Man are here. I don't know where we are Brugger, so I hide my face in her chest to feel her heart again, Brugger—the heart of your True Love._

_I feel dark, Brugger. I am not okay. I don't want you come anymore, Brugger, I feel bad things that are going to happen, Brugger, but you come anyways and I can see you again._

_I miss you, Brugger. Brugger, how I've needed you so. I want you to promise, Brugger, that you won't leave again, Brugger._

_But Brugger, you do not—cannot—make your promise._

_Brugger you're going to fall and she won't help you because she understands something I do not._

_Brugger._

_Brugger._

_Please forgive me, Brugger._

_For a moment, Brugger, you hold me again, Brugger, I can feel you. Brugger I can feel you breathe, you are warm, Brugger, you comfort me._

_But Brugger I cannot feel your heartbeat._

_You are crying in despair Brugger. I did not do good this time, I know, Brugger, from the way you cry._

_You scream, Brugger, you scream you love me. I feel your love, Brugger, you did not harm me, no Brugger, you did not harm me when you saved me._

_You disappear, Brugger. You suddenly are gone from sight, gone from hearing, gone from mind, and I can't feel you anymore._

_I love you too, Brugger._

* * *

Please respond to this, I really want to hear what you think even if you are struck speechless or only have one thing to say. I must know what you felt while reading this.


	12. Your Letter

_So a while back I got some Pilot G-2 pens with colored ink. One of the pens was BLOOD RED and I was like "HECK YES" and wrote a little too much with just that little red pen. Among the many things were two letters, one from the past, one from the gruesome present, from the same person, from a different name. I didn't decide to put it up until now. I had two choices: Post the letters just as is with me explaining everything, or post them in second person and challenge myself._

_I'm sorry if I made terrible mistakes in here, I took myself on a crash course of Second Person writing._

* * *

You stare in disbelief at your pink-haired friend as she shoves the wrinkled old paper in your hands, urging you to read it instantly. Confused, you grasp the soft overused paper in your hand before opening it slowly in the noontide sunlight, your three closest friends crowding around your shoulders.

The handwriting you see is messy and smeared—almost incomprehensible, even, but you can read it. After the first few words you then realize _why_ you can read it. You've seen this handwriting before, but you haven't seen it for two long years.

"Tha...This is, this is...," you gape in awe, "This is from Ulrich!"

Aelita rests her chin on your shoulder, eyes wide. She knew who it was from already, you guess, otherwise she wouldn't have seemed so urgent. Your fingers begin to tremble without control as you read the faded words.

_Yumi. I love you more than anything else. I'll always love you. I'm not the smartest guy in the world, nor am I wise. But I know I die a little each time I fight beside you, against you, for you, because your presence is that strong._

_Yumi at this point I don't care if you love me back or not. All I want is for you to know me, and know how I feel._

_Yumi, how I miss you._

_Yumi,I don't even know if this'll ever reach your eyes—your chocolate eyes—but if it does then I am at least: content._

_Yours truly and forever,_

_Ulrich Stern_

The paper falls from your hands because of your incessant shaking. Odd picks it up for you, but doesn't give it back because he knows you need your time alone.

You do.

So you take it.

Your heart feels like its being constricted by your own traitorous ribs. It feels like your heart wants to escape your bosom so it can go find Ulrich, wherever he is buried, and rest with him. He loved you dearly when he was alive. Now he is dead, and that letter did nothing but chill your spine.

Immense amounts of pain settle within you, and you try to take it out on Xana and the gym's punching bags, but nothing works for sure. The only thing that lifts you from your pain is when you look over to see that withdrawn boy standing alone at the sides of the courtyard.

Reese.

He takes your mind off of things, off of Ulrich. You hate him deeply. You hate him so much sometimes you lose sight of why you hate him, which is good because you don't want to admit the reason why you hate him is because you can't get close to him.

Then one day he approaches you, and your heart leaps into your throat. You ready a scowl on your face, and you're just ready to release it when he reveals to you that he was the one that found that letter.

You stammer, utterly stunned. He tells you that only Aelita saw it aside from him before it reached you. You cannot speak to his face, you cannot believe what you are hearing. In a fit of jealous confused rage you smack him soundly on the scar (which feels hot and abnormal) and storm off. His reaction to the slap confuses you even more, because he acts as though he accepts it.

As the months wear on you start to get used to Reese, gradually. He gives you silent company even when you don't feel you need it but you really do. You never truly minded that he read the letter, you felt as if that was okay somehow that things played out like that. He had become more jovial as the weeks wore on, as if the closer he was getting to you the more free he felt. Secretly this pleases you, secretly this is what you need, but damn you if you ever show it.

It hits you now though; You should've shown it.

The boy lies still in a treacherous mess of his own blood in the middle of the sidewalk. He was discovered only minutes ago by you and your friends walking back from the factory. Jeremy quickly analyzed that it was anything but a suicide, and your insides turn viciously. His belly is almost spilling on the pavement, and his hand is red from where he dipped his crude pen tip in red ink.

_Yumi. I write this in my own blood._

_How I've missed you._

_How I'll miss you._

_You'll soon learn what happened to me and I am running out of time._

_I love you Yumi. Desperately. I love you as Ulrich would love you, because that's who I am and who I now choose to be._

_Reese Anders_

There is one more phrase beneath his name. It is blatantly obvious that it was supposed to say "I love you" but his penmanship faded away with his final breaths.

The information bombards you terribly and the world grows dizzy in your sight. All this time your best friend, the one person you believe you have ever, _ever_truly loved was hiding just under your nose. Every emotion you've ever known flies out of you at that instant and you are left with a pungent emptiness. Your legs can no longer support you, and your friends scream in surprise at you as you crumple to the cold ground, practically close to lifelessness.

* * *

_Yum, grievance, death, pestilence, famine, ahahaha!  
_

_Guess what happens when I play the Sims._


	13. Reflections in Words

_Years later, Ulrich reflects on those days, that one school year, the "Reese" episode of his life._

_In advance I apologize for possible bad poetry. My homework can't be completed because of website complications and I've already been whipped for it and I really feel like just...taking a cheese grater to a cartoon character's skin, I don't know. I'm really upset right now so I just wrote this to vent some energy.  
_

* * *

Aelita gave me something to hope for

With her words and her ways

She brightened the cloudy days

Aelita gave me something to hope for

* * *

Odd gave me something to laugh for

Cheery optimism and freedom

Even when I didn't need him

Odd gave me something to laugh for

* * *

Mrs. Periwinkle gave me something to grow for

Wisdom and strength in her eyes

Helped chisel away the lies

Mrs. Periwinkle gave me something to grow for

* * *

Jeremy gave me something to compete for

With ways to earn new trust

His friendship became a must

Jeremy gave me something to compete for

* * *

Meria gave me something to care for

Everlasting words echo

Remembrance wherever I go

Meria gave me something to care for

* * *

Lukas gave me something to fight for

My scars won't heal

But courage I'll feel

Lukas gave me something to fight for

* * *

Yumi gave me something to live for

A light at the end

A lifetime yet to spend?

Yumi gave me something to live for

* * *

Nevaeh gave me something to smile for

Banishing the dark

Bursting as loud as a lark

Nevaeh gave me something to smile for

* * *

Reese gave me something to remember

Things I'll never forget

A life I won't regret

Reese gave me something to remember

* * *

_What will Reese give you to remember?_

_Here's a riddle for you, Find the answer, there's a reason for the world..._

_you and I.  
_


	14. Pride and Envy

_I wrote this at camp, which is my first home._

_My MP3 is not working and I feel like just...mobbing something._

* * *

She calls out "Yumi" in place of Mommy, and "Brugger" instead of Daddy. My envy is replaced with pride—her own parents could not do better.

At night, when she cannot sleep well, she crawls out of her room and carefully descends down the stairs into Mrs. Periwinkle's guest room where either Yumi or you sleep, depending on the time frame. Both of you allow Nevaeh to snuggle close to your beating heart to comfort her, holding back the scolding.

I probably would've scolded, just because of my human need to have control over something again in my life.

I apologize deeply for leaving her in this predicament, and expecting you to take care of her in my absence. It was a wrongful thing to entrust to you at such a tender age, but still, you took it upon you naturally and bravely. I can see, this decision helped you immensely as it never helped me. However I am envious of you, for earning the heart of my daughter when I could do nothing but impurely kiss her forehead. Yes, I wish to be the one that she crawls to in the middle of the night even if I would end up scolding her away. I envy you.

But you must understand.

I am proud of you.


	15. I am remembering you

_It's...been a doozy long while, eh? And then I just update the sidestories. Oh well. Ha!_

_Written for a daily topic whatnot thing. The topic is the name of the story._

* * *

** I am remembering you**

Go on. Go ahead. Even if people are watching you here, they'd understand. They're here for the same purpose anyways. No, don't look at me like that. This isn't ludicrous. You miss her. You want to honor her memory.

Don't you go on telling me that there was no honor in her life!

She gave birth to you, didn't she? How many times have you saved the world with us, anyways? How many times have you just saved simple lives, a smaller feat than saving the world, and you do it as if it was part of your daily schedule? It seems to me that she couldn't have begged for a greater honor than having a son that valued all the things that knights in shining armor value in story books.

Yes, really. _Really_.

No "buts". Go on. Lay the bouquet down. She'll love it. You said she always loved chrysanthemums.

There, see? That wasn't that hard. Do you feel better? I thought you would. Do you need some time alone?

Alright.

Just a hug before I leave, okay? You need it.

I'll be waiting at the entrance. I don't want to rush you at all, but keep in mind that our free time is almost up, we have chemistry in fifteen minutes.

Well, that didn't take long! Are you sure you spent enough time...? Really? Okay. You look better already, happier too. I'm serious. Do you feel that way?

Yeah.

I understand.

She meant a lot to you. It seems only just that you showed that to the world. Now more than anything. C'mon. We have ten minutes. Let's get back to Kadic. We could go to the ice cream parlor after school. Everyone! Even Nevaeh. We're all glad you're here, Ulrich. We've missed you a lot, you know.

Haha, no, probably not.

At the end of the day though, you're still one of us. You always will be.


End file.
